Birch trees and Broken Barns
by tj67701
Summary: Before the apocalypse, Daryls life was falling apart. He moves on in the new world thinking the love of his life is dead until fate comes into play, and he is forced to deal with their old problems. Daryl/OC previously til death do we part
1. Charlotte

AN: New story on a new account. It is very short. Please let me know what you think, next chapter with be up shortly.

* * *

Something had been on Andreas mind, Daryl could tell. She had insisted on coming out with him into the woods to look for Sohpia, the look on her face had been questioning whenever he caught her looking at him. And he caught her a lot.

"Well?" he asked, walking forward, without looking at her. "I know you got somethin' ta' say."

Without beating around the bush, she asked, "Who's Charlotte?" Daryl stopped dead in his tracks, causing her to almost run into him. He turned around, eyes narrowing. Why it made him angry, he couldn't explain, but hearing Andrea say the name made his hair stand up. Maybe it was because he didn't want to reminder. While he pondered this, she looked up at him wide eyed. "That's the name tattooed on you, right? On you chest. I saw it when you were buttoning your shirt yesterday."

He scoffed, turning away. "You checking me out, pervert?" Andrea followed after him. He knew she was rolling his eyes. She knew damn well he'd shut down as soon as she tried to get into his personal life.

"You don't get someones name on you for no reason. Who is she?"

* * *

_She had long orange tinted red hair, dark blue eyes, and freckles scattered on her cheekbones. She was short and skinny. She was mouthy, and picked a fight with everyone but the neighborhood boys could take her down every time. But she was nice to Daryl, and that was good enough for him._

_They'd have adventures by the river, in the woods. He showed her the fireflies in a jar and told her the fireflies were married. They counted the stars, and would search for the shooting stars. Charlotte told him she wanted to see Haillies Commet and he promised one day she would. They practiced holding hands. She was Daryls best friend. He told her about mommy and daddy fighting and yelling, she told him about all the men her mom brought home. But after one break up with her mom she was gone, Daryl never said goodbye._

* * *

_When Daryl turned 18, he was a different boy from the 11 year old who lost his best friend. Especially after his mom died, he got quiet, and Merle had showed him what a man was, how they didn't show their feelings because that was gay. He dropped out of school, got a GED. He was working in Merle's garage when a red head walked in. She had dark blue eyes, freckles scattered on her cheekbones. Daryl was frozen, staring at her. And she was staring at him._

"_Well got-DAMN." Boomed Merle. "Call me a son-bitch but is that little Charlotte Anderson standing in MY garage?" Neither said anything, just stared at each other. Why she had an effect on him Daryl had no idea. But his hardened heart was yearning to grab her hand like when they were kids. But he wouldn't because that was gay. He waited for her to say something, but she looked at him, with an unreadable expression she had since a kid._

* * *

_When they did talk, she said "Well, shit." Merle talked to her, but Daryl didn't say anything at first. He watched them talk. She was taller, obviously, but had defined curves now, she had big, round eyes. It was his childhood best friend, all grown up. She was drinking an iced coffee, straw in at the corner of her mouth as she bit the straw. She kept glancing at him, staring at him with those expressionless eyes._

_Somehow, he said something to her. They left the garage, she talked about moving up north, ("There's snow up there"). She was a sophomore in high school but she would be finishing her school up her junior year in an ALC program(she skipped classes a lot). Her mom still used and went through men. She went to parties that got busted, hung out with upper classman. Daryl had walls now, all he said was how his mom died, and how he dropped out of school. He was a different person, she was the same wild girl he knew when he was little. He wasn't that nice to her. _

_But day after day she would come back, trying to get him to open up. It took months for him to consider them friends, even though he cared about her. He wouldn't admit it, but he cared for her._

* * *

_Charlotte was in her junior year, Daryl was still working in the garage. A couple of high school boys were in the shop while a friends car was being fixed. Daryl listened as Charlotte's name came up, and the latest scandal with her 'boyfriend'(whatever she called him) Quinton. Daryl knew Quinton, he was the same age. Daryl learned from their conversation that Quinton "hit it and quit it" with Charlotte("She was a virgin, do you believe it? No, Quinton swears she was!") _

_Daryl left the garage and her and Merle drove around town until they found Quinton. He was outside smoking with a friend and words were exchanged(Not a lot of words. "Did you fuck Charlotte?" "So what if I did?") until a punch was thrown from Daryl. They wrestled around, Quinton had no idea how to fight back but he tried. Someone threatened to call the cops and two men tore them apart. Daryl stormed off to his truck and left. _

_Merle went back home and Daryl drove to Charlotte's house and he found her in her room, under the covers. He climbed in with her and assured her to not worry, news would spread that any man that fucked with her again would get the wrath of the Dixon brothers._

* * *

_When Charlotte was eighteen, Daryl still didn't open up or let any walls down but him and Charlotte had an unexplainable bond where they cared and took care of one another, without ever admitting it of course. _

_The Dixons had a bon fire, people got drunk. Boys fed Charlotte drinks. She got more and more drunk. Daryl sat there and watched. It took one of them grabbing her hips and grinding into her for Daryl to lose it. He strided across the lawn and punched the kid out. Charlotte was drunk and confused, trying to yell at Daryl but was too dizzy to make a good point. He stormed off. The next day they yelled at each other. _

"_You can't just do what you did last night and say you don't care the next day!" she shouted. "Do you have any idea how confusing this is for me?"_

"_I don't give a fuck!" he yelled back, shutting himself down. Shutting her out all over again._

"_Apparently you do!" she pushed him. As hard as she could. He didn't care. He wanted her to yell at him, to hit him. He wanted her to be mad at him. "You know what I think?"_

"_This should be good." He scoffed._

"_I think you like me."_

"_You're fucking fool of yourself."_

"_Then why did you punch him!"_

"_Because I fucking could!"_

"_You don't make a bit of fucking sense!" _

"_Well FUCK YOU."_

* * *

_They went a month without talking. For the first time in a long time, it was raining. Hard. Daryl was driving through town when he saw her walking down the street. He pulled up next to her. "Why ya' walkin'?_

"_Locked out of my car." She said shortly._

"_Come on, I'll give ya' a ride."_

"_Fuck you." She snapped._

"_Are ya' kiddin?" he asked._

_She kept walking. "Nope."_

_He pulled over, jumped out of the car and jogged up to her, getting soaked. "Get yer ass in the car." She ignored him and kept walking. He grabbed her elbow and yanked her toward him. She looked him in the eye violently. If looks could kill._

"_If you forgot, you and I are NOT on good terms." Her voice was cold. "So fuck off."_

"_Sorry I care more about ya' than ya' think." He blurted out. _

"_You were supposed to be my friend." She had hurt written all over her behind the anger._

"_Sometimes its hard being friends." He left her to decide what that meant. No way in hell would he say it outloud. "Now get in the car and quit being a bitch." But then they were making out before he realized she had him pushed against his truck. He flipped them around and leaned into her. It was hot, heated, a big relief. Then she was pushing him away, they breathed heavily. _

_Charlotte walked around his truck and opened the door. "Don't call me a bitch ever again."_

_He opened the driver door. "Yes ma'am."_

* * *

_They were unofficial. They never opened up, Daryl didn't want to look gay and for all he knew she didn't feel the same. She came and went. He let her. She was a wild spirit he couldn't hold onto if he tried. So he let her do that thing._

_When she was gone, he never tried to fill the void with another girl. She's call from hear and there, Daryl would slip, only a little("Are you with other guys?" "No, Daryl.") but that's as much as he would slip. If their feelings got too much to handle, they would have sex (and damn, it was good sex). But he would miss her when she was gone doing god knows what. He didn't know where he stood with her. What he was to her. If he should care if she was with other men or not._

_One night, at midnight she showed up at his apartment. He blew up at her. All of his questions came out, his insecurities. She let him explode, he talked, and talked, and talked. "What am I to you even?" he ended with, breathing heavily._

"_My boyfriend." She said, walking across the living room and grabbing his hand. He held in any emotion and kissed her gently. _

"_Good." He kissed her. "You're mine then."_


	2. A pretty big fight

"_Is that a real tattoo?" Charlotte asked, examining the lettering on Daryls chest. She glanced at him. His face was red and his smile cheeky, he was drunk. Wasted, _

"_All for you baby." He kissed her neck, pulling her in his lap. She could almost roll her eyes at him. _

"_Don't tell me you got this drunk." She was ignoring his lips. His walls had started to come down, he was still a little hard to chew. But he'd opened right up when he was drunk. "Daryl, baby." She pushed his head away. He looked up at her, his usually stern eyes childish, and wide._

"_Cause I looooove you." He kissed her jaw. Charlotte went to see if there was a chance that it was a fake by rubbing it off. It passed the "real tattoo" test. "And yer name is pretty. It even look pretty. I've been with ya' three years. I got yer name on me, and I'm gonna marry ya' someday.  
_

* * *

"You are supposed to use chalk for hopscotch." A child with long blonde hair whined. Charlotte examined the dirt outline, then smiled at the girl.

"It's the best we have, Mary." She said. The little girl seemed to pout, but once her friend started to play, she joined in. Charlotte smiled, glancing toward were Michael, the groups undesignated leader, was pacing back and forth. One of the men went out for supplies days ago and he wasn't back. Charlotte looked to make sure the girls were preoccupied and made her way toward Michael. "He's probably held up."

"He probably got into some shit." Michael said, continuing his pacing. "I never should have let him went."

Charlotte caught the blonde man by his arm and looked him in his brown eyes. "There is not _letting _and _not letting._ What he does isn't up to you, you know that. If anything happens to him it's not on you." He shook his head and pulled away. Charlotte sighed and looked to their makeshift walls that surrounded the motor in, made of cars, garbage cans, furniture and whatever was big enough. There was no sign of anyone.

"I hate to say it." Charlotte looked toward the voice, belonging to a short haired bruenette named Violet. "But we are running low on food, we need to send a group out. Someone else is bound to come back." Michael whipped around and glared at her.

"Let me guess, you won't be a part of that group." Quipped Charlotte. Violet looked at her through narrowed eyes. "I hate to say it, but she's right. We need supplies, and we need to find Jack." Michael was shaking his head as she talked. Charlotte got very close to him. "I hate to remind you but we are _dangerously _low on food. The kids are starving. We're starving. I'll go." She stated, raising her arm up and looking around at the group. A few more people rose their hands. She looked to Michael. "Jack went by himself; we have a better chance like this."

"Like you said, I don't get to say who leaves or who stays." Michael scoffed, looking to the ground. "Just be careful, I don't need anything happening to the only person with medical experience."

Charlotte nodded. "Alright, let's get ready to head out." Four out of their group of fifteen were going. Kyle, an 18 year old boy who was at school when the outbreak started, Ruth, a dark skinned girl in her late twenties working at Taco Plaza before infection, Tanner, a hunter, and Damian, a quiet young man who never seemed to have a lot to say. They gathered weapons and set out of the Motor Inn and into the direction of town in a car. There were no Biters on the way in.

Charlotte stepped out of the car. "It's almost too peaceful." She said, looking around the small town.

"How cliché." Ruth commented, shutting her door quietly. Tanner hushed everyone, looking around. "What is it?" she whispered.

He kneeled down. "These treads belong to the Jeep Jack took." He stood back up and looked around. "Where is the Jeep?" Charlotte surveyed the tracks as they lead toward the other side of town.

"Where the hell did he go?" she asked. "The grocery store is right here. Why would he have to go that way?"

"Let's just go get supplies. Then we will follow the Jeep tracks." Tanner said, heading toward the store. The split up once inside, Charlotte went with Ruth toward the canned food section.

"Were you married before this Ruth?" Charlotte asked, surveying the cans. Most were broken open and no good.

"Divorced actually." She said. Ruth had her daughter, Monroe, back at the Motor Inn. "I have no idea what happened to Monroe's dad after this all happened."

"Did you love him?" Charlotte picked up a can of green beans.

Ruth scoffed, laughing slightly. "Hell no." she shook her head. "He was just a night a fun that went too far. But I love my Monroe." She smiled and looked at Charlotte. "How 'bout you?"

Charlotte smiled. "Yeah."

"Where he at now?" Ruth asked.

"I'm not sure." She started to pack her bag with what was left of the good canned foods. "I hope that he never got anywhere near Atlanta."

"Where was he when the outbreak happened?" Ruth asked, a sad look on her face.

"He was in Knoxville. That's where we lived. I was just outside of Atlanta."

"Why?" Ruth asked.

Charlotte frowned. "We were in a fight. A pretty big one."

* * *

_Charlotte and Daryl got married when Charlotte turned twenty-four, Daryl was twenty-six. Daryl took her to Florida, and the only people who were there was Merle, and Charlotte's older sister Shianne. Charlotte wore a puffed out white dress the came to her knees, a pretty veil on her head. Daryl wore nice borrowed suit. They went to the casino for their wedding night, spending the rest of the week going to the beach. _

_The first couple of years were great. Daryl was affectionate, as long as other people weren't around. But after a while, things caught up with him. Daryl fell into a depression he couldn't explain. They fought, Daryl broke plates and glasses and slammed doors, he'd go to the bar and wouldn't come back until late. He started to drink a lot._

"_I don't need this shit!" Daryl screamed one particular night. He could tell he was hurting her, and he didn't know how to stop. He loved her so much and the mean things just spilled out of his mouth. "And I don't need you!" he shouted heatedly, walking around her. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you!" she yelled. He ignored her. "Your just like your daddy!" she threw something over his head. From the sound of it breaking it was one of their glasses. "You drunk bastard!"_

"_Dumb bitch." He muttered. He couldn't stop, not being able to figure out what was wrong with him. He walked into their kitchen toward their front door._

"_Daryl Dixon, if you walk out of this fucking house again I'm done with you!" she followed after him. "I swear to God all of your shit will be on the lawn! Daryl!" she was crying now and even though his mind screamed at him to turn around and grab her, he slammed the front door. She stood in the doorway. "I'm serious Daryl, I'll leave you!" he opened his truck door. "FINE! This is the last time you will ever see me!" He backed up his truck and pulled away from the house._

_When he got home late that night, his stuff wasn't on the lawn. He walked up to their bedroom and she wasn't in there. "Babe?" he called out, looking over his shoulder. He glanced back into the bedroom and noticed their wardrobe. All the drawers were open. He looked through the closet and drawers and all of her things were gone. He called her cell phone, she didn't answer._

_She didn't answer for over a month. Daryl drank. And he called. And she wouldn't answer. Late at night he would lay in their bed and cry. His 29__th__ birthday came and went. Every year she would make him a cake and his favorite dinner. This year he didn't even hear from her. It had almost been two months when his phone rang. "Hello?"_

"_Daryl?"_

"_Charlotte?" he sat up on the couch. "Charlotte, please listen. I'm so sorry, babe I want you to come back."_

_She was silent for a moment. "You need help, Daryl."_

_He leaned back. "I know. I love you. I'll do what it takes."_

_She sighed. "I don't know Daryl."_

"_Please, can we at least talk?" he almost begged. "I'll come see ya."_

_She said she was at her sisters, just outside of Atlanta. The following morning he would set out to see her. When the morning came, his brother pulled in as Daryl was walking to his truck. "We gotta' go little brother."_

_Daryl shook his head. "Whatever it is, no. I need to go see Charlotte."_

_Merle grabbed Daryls arm. "Little brother, have you seen the news?"_

* * *

"_The call won' go through." Daryl said, throwing the cell phone._

"_Don't worry, she's right outside of Atlanta. We grab her and we go." But there was no grabbing an going. The town was empty, and when they pulled up to her sisters house, there was a large cardboard leaned up against the wall that read, "__**DARYL, MEET ME IN ATLANTA**__"._

_The road to Atlanta was at a standstill. Eventually people got out of their car and started to look around. "Towns right there!" Daryl yelled, looking at the visible Atlanta. "Why the fuck aren't we movin'?"_

"_Somethin' is goin' on." Said a man with dark, corse, hair. He looked to Daryl. "Look at all them helicopters flyin' around the town. And there ain't nothin' on the radio." Daryl swore and started to pace. The dark haired man went to investigate and in front of Daryls eyes, he watched Atlanta go up in flames. Daryl could barely hear himself screaming "__**no**__", over and over again._

* * *

_**So these short chapters are done. The purpose of the first two chapters were to give an idea of Daryl and Charlotte's life before the apocalypse, so the good stuff comes next. Please review!**  
_


	3. Fucking Bandits

"Got anything?" Tanner asked as they came back together.

"Some veggies." Charlotte said. Tanner swore.

The familiar sound of hissing and moaning filled their ears and they wall grabbed their weapons, whipping around to the sound. "Oh, fuck." Charlotte said, lowering her weapon. It was Jack limping toward them. His skin was a green tone and his eyes were dead. She glanced in time to see Ruth heaving.

"I'll take him out." Tanner said, holding his bat up. "Sorry, friend." Charlotte winced as Tanner took a running start and bashed his friends head in. When they were positive Jack was dead, like dead dead, they left the store.

"Where is the jeep then?" Charlotte asked.

"I bet it was those fucking bandits." Tanner hissed. "_Fuck._" He kicked a trashcan over.

"Calm down." Ruth said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm tired of getting _fucked_ by these guys Ruth. Every time shit goes right, they come along and take it all away. I'm fucking done with it." He looked around at them. "_I'm done. _We need to take care of them."

"How?" Charlotte asked. "How do you plan on taking care of them? They have more men, and more weapons. And they don't give a shit about killing any of us. Think it through, Tanner." He kicked the garbage can again. "Take it up with Michael, there's nothing we can do for now."

"So let's keep getting fucked." He snapped.

"Guys." Ruth tried to interject.

"No, we won't keep getting _fucked._"

"Guys!"

"Then let's do something before we get fucked again!"

"THE FUCKING CAR IS GONE."Everyone stopped and looked. Sure as hell, the vehicle they had driven into town in was no longer there. Tanner started to scream a line of obscenities.

"Son of a _bitch._" Charlotte muttered, throwing her weapon to the ground and running a hand through her hair.

* * *

It took until night fall to get back to the Motor Inn. When the group of four walked in, Michael seemed relieved. From the look of their faces it was clear things didn't go too smoothly. "What's the damage?" he asked.

"We ran into Jack." Tanner stated, throwing his backpack to the grown and walking past Michael. "And the car is gone. The one we took and the one Jack took, actually."

Michael pulled his eyes away from Tanner and looked at Charlotte. She nodded. He threw his hat to the ground and started to pace. "Fucking bandits!"

"That's what I said." Tanner muttered.

"We need to have a meeting tonight when the kids go to bed." Michael said. "We gotta do something."

* * *

"Did you know Daryl was married?" Andrea asked as the women sat around doing laundry. The women collectively stopped and looked at her.

"_Daryl?_" Lori asked. "_Doesn't-play-well-with-others_ Daryl Dixon?"

"I knew that." Carol said quietly. She hadn't said a lot since Sophia went missing.

The attention was turned to her. "How did you know?" Andrea asked.

"He told me." Carol said. "He keeps his wedding band in his pocket. I was talking to him about Sophia and he told me how him and his wife were tryin' to get pregnant before this whole mess." She looked around at them. "Well you all can't be that surprised, he's still a human being. He had feelings and he had a life just like everyone else."

Andrea looked at her hands. "I know it's dumb, but I picture him doing what he does now; hunt, shooting things. I can't really picture him doing else. It's sad thinking about him having a wife. What happened to her?"

"They got split up when this all happened." Carol answered.

"So she could be alive then." Andrea said.

Carol shook her head. "She was in Atlanta when it went up in flames."

"He's doesn't know that for sure."

"He's positive she's dead." Carol said solemnly. The group got quiet as they looked to Daryl, who was leaning up against the truck while the rest of the men huddled around the hood looking at a map. He was staring at his feet, chewing on his thumb nail.

"How long were they together?" Lori asked.

"They were married about four years, together before that for a couple more years."

"It's so sad." Lori said.

"Not all of us can have our spouse brought from the dead." Andrea muttered bitterly.

* * *

Michael was pacing around as the group sat in a circle staring at each other. The bandits in the woods had been messing around with the group for a while, and it was a matter of time before they found out where they were held up. "We have two options." Michael said.

"I see one." Tanner stated. "Kill all of them."

"Or we can go talk to them and try to make peace." Charlotte added. "They're survivors like us. What if they have children?"

Tanner rolled his eyes and stood up. "They are assholes that steal medicine and food and shoot at us in town."

"We need to explore all options." Charlotte said. "We can't just jump in their half-cocked with guns and start a fucking war. _We_ have kids here we need to watch out for."

"Or we can pack up and leave." Ruth started. "Get the hell out of here."

"And where would we go?" Tanner asked. "With _what vehicles?_"

"Before we decide anything I want to send a group out to spy on their camp." Michael said. "Tanner will lead it. We need your tracking." It was obvious that Tanner was hoping for more, but he would take it.

"I'll go with." Charlotte offered automatically.

"Fine but just you two." Michael said. "In and out, quickly. Report back."

"Let's get going now." Tanner said. "They're all asleep, its perfect to check it out now."

Michael looked Tanner in the eye, looking unpleased. "Ya'll need to be careful."

Charlotte went to her room(hotel room) and started to pack up. She heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

She turned to see Michael. He closed the door behind him but didn't really step into the room. "I don't like you going."

Charlotte continued to pack. "Who else is qualified to go? Tanner can't go alone and my husband taught me the art of tracking and being quiet. He'd let me go with him hunting, and that is a lot for him, considering his standards of 'quiet'."

"I just don't like how you are out there every day risking your ass." He continued, sitting on her bed. "We need you hear, alive. With your EMT training and your one of the only people walking around with a brain in your head. Believe it or not, you keep hope and well-being in this group, with your _moral_ and your _right and wrong_ shit."

She stopped packing and sat down, grabbing his hand. "You keep us alive. These people would be dead if it weren't for you."

He shrugged. "They don't _like _me."

"Stop being so professional and maybe show you can be fun, it won't kill you to show personality." Michael looked into her eyes and suddenly she felt uncomfortable. He leaned forward and his lips barely grazed hers before she leaned away. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to kiss you." It was no secret that Michael had projected his feelings on her, but Charlotte believe that he was just looking for the first young pretty girl, which were few and far between.

"I'm _married_." She said, irritably. Michael rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Maybe it's time you accept that '_your husband_' probably didn't make it."

Charlotte stood up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means he's _dead._" Charlotte felt her face get warm and her chest get tight with anger. Michael walked out the door and she slammed it behind him.

"_Clearly you don't know anything about my husband!"_ she yelled through the thin walls.

She turned around as her eyes welled up. She hugged her body, she was wearing Daryls red plaid shirt that formed to her body. Not once had she ever considered the possibility that Daryl could have been dead. Her body shook as tears trickled down her face when she heard her door being opened. "We goin' or not?" Tanner asked. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Oh god, are you on your period or something?"

Charlotte snorted. "No, let's go."

* * *

The tracking took a while, but the bandits didn't know how to cover their tracks. Tanner never minded Charlotte going along with him, she knew how to be quiet. Tanner came up to a stop and singled for her to stop. He looked her in the eyes and instructed her to stand behind the tree to take cover. He snuck up and pointed toward the campsite. Charlotte could see tents, but no walking person.

Tanner turned back to look at her but froze. His eyes widened, and that's when everything went dark.

* * *

Her hands were numb, is the first thing Charlotte noticed when she came to. Her vision was blury before everything started to come in focus. She looked around. "Well look who's up." A low voice purred. She focused in on the voice. He had thick dark hair and a full beard. He had a disgusting smile. "Hello there, Red." He stroked her long red hair. She jerked away and he laughed. The situation started to become clear- they had been taken hostage.

"Don't _fucking_ touch her." She heard tanner yell. She looked to see him kicking violently. Charlotte turned back to the man with the beard. His smile was evil.

"So you wouldn't like…" he slurred out, stroking her neckline. "If I did this?"

Charlotte pulled away with some force. "Keep your hands off me asshole. We have about ten men who are on their way right now and they are going to fucking kill you when they find out you attacked us."

He laughed again. "Right. What are you doing spying on us anyway?"

"You're the assholes who keep _fucking _with us." Tanner spat. "You take are cars, steal are supplies-"

"We are just surviving man." He said. No remorse on his face. "Maybe you should up your game."

"We have children." Charlotte gave him a deadly look. "And women. Who are you assholes to just go around and take what isn't yours?"

He kneeled down and got very close to her face. "I'd choose my words carefully honey. You are not in any position to be a bitch." He laughed. "We are going to have a lot of fun with you."

* * *

This one turned out shorted then I expected. Long chapters coming! Please leave a review! The next part will mostly be about Daryl.


	4. The farm

Rick was staring at Daryl; this morning Lori had told him about Daryl being married and while it was easy to believe all Daryl had was himself, hearing that he had a life before this humanized him. Rick could sympathize- he thought he would never see Lori again.

Daryl was skinning a rabbit as Rick approached. "Need a hand?"

"Ya' know how to skin?" Daryl asked without looking toward Rick.

"I can learn?" he offered.

"Then I don't need the help."

Rick kind of laughed, rocking back and forth a bit. He finally sat down next to Daryl. "So I wanted to talk to you."

"I figured."

"There's been talk." Rick continued, looking at Daryl. "About you."

Daryl scoffed. "Andrea can't keep her mouth shut."

Rick laughed. A moment of silence passed. "I know how you feel. I felt it at one point. And I found Lori."

Daryl scoffed again. "Well my ol' lady was in Atlanta and we both know how that went." He shook his head and threw the rabbit down. For a moment, nothing was said. Then Daryl showed a rare bit of vulnerability. "She was fun. I miss her." He pulled himself together and stood up. "Not like it matters one damn bit now. I'm goin' to look for Sophia."

Rick sighed and stood up. Today, him and T-Dog were going to go by some of the local swamps and see if Sophia was there. Rick just hopped they would find the girl alive.

* * *

It was early in the morning, and Charlotte was to take the man before her and cut his throat. "So, I'm going to keep asking; where is your group hiding out at?"

"Fuck you." She spat.

He took his knife and let it sit on her shoulder. "Come on baby, don't make me beg."

"We have children." She said desperately. "Just leave us alone." She yelped as the knife cut into her skin, and he dragged it down to her cleavage. Tanner was yelling and swearing. Charlotte kicked him in between the legs and he dropped to his knees, cursing. He grabbed her by her hair and punched her in the chest several times. His knife was cutting into her but she was fighting to hard to notice where. A gunshot went off and the commotion stopped. Charlotte looked to Tanner and he was lying on his side, crying as blood spilled from his arm. Charlotte couldn't hear her yelling, she struggled against the men. The man with the beard grabbed her and started to unbutton her shirt. She refused to cry. She struggled and fought, screaming at Tanner that it would be okay, and not too watch. "Maybe we should take them back to _Crawford._"

Before she could think about what _Crawford_ was, everything stopped. The men were still, looking over her head. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a handsome man with a five o'clock shadow wearing a sheriff outfit standing with a built black man. The cop had his gun raised. "What the hell is this?"

"Who the hell are you?" her capture asked, holding his gun.

"Please help us!" Charlotte yelled. "They shot him!" something struck her in the stomach and lost all her air. The other men shouted. Charlotte laid face down in the dirt.

"What the hell is going on here!" the black man yelled. "Rick, what do we do?" she whispered.

The other man, Rick, was looking into Charlotte's eyes. She hoped her eyes screamed what she felt on the inside: _help me_.

Then they heard moans from the woods. Everywhere, Biters were shuffling into the area. The Bandits had taken off. Charlotte sat up and struggled to get off her restraints. "Help!" she screamed. Rick ran toward her and cut her bandages off. She crawled to Tanner in pain, turning him onto his back. "Tanner! Tanner!" she was screaming, she could hear gun fire in the air, the other two men shouting.

"We got to go T-dog! Grab her!" she felt arms around her.

"No, no! You need to help him!" Rick grabbed the man, shooting his gun and taking out walkers. "Go, go, go!" she ran as best as she could, Tanner tried to keep up but he lost a lot of blood. They eventually lost the Biters. Charlotte slowed down and put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"We need to get you back to Hershel." Rick said. "I'm Rick, this is T-Dog."

"I'm Charlotte, this is Tanner." She panted.

"Who were those guys?"

"Bandits." She puffed as they began to walk again. "They have been fucking with us forever. And they will be back."

Rick glanced at T-Dog, they were both worried. They never thought of having to worry about bandits, or had even heard of them. "Can you make it?" Rick asked.

Charlotte glanced at Tanner. "I think we'll make it."

"Hardly." Tanner sneered, holding his arm.

* * *

Charlotte was amazed at the farm. Rick hurried her in to an old man named Hershel as he separated her and Tanner into different rooms. Of course she was worried, she didn't know these peoples and if she learned anything in the past few months she learned not to trust anyone. But the presence of women around numbed any of her suspicions. "We're going to have to stitch these up." The women said.

"Help him first." Charlotte pleaded.

"The bullet only grazed his arm, we will have him stitched up in no time." Hershel said, grabbing some thread. "We're running low on supplies." He added, sending Rick a look. Charlotte got it; supplies were limited and he was using them on people he wasn't responsible for. Strangers.

"I really appreciate ya'll coming in when you did." Charlotte said, looking Rick in the eye. "I can't imagine what they would have done to us." _To me._

"There's no way we could have left that and minded our own." Rick said.

"Thank you." She said again.

"I can't knock you out." Hershel said. "You're going to feel all of this."

Charlotte nodded. "I'll be fine." But half an hour later she was crying in pain. Tanner didn't do well either, he grinded his teeth and groaned, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the bed sheets.

"We'll get you guys fed and hydrated." Hershel said. "Give you time to heal up." It was an obvious answer to a question they didn't ask; They weren't welcome to stay. But Charlotte needed to get back to her group, to make sure they were okay.

* * *

Rick climbed down the stairs to fine Andrea, Daryl, Lori, T-dog, and Shane. "What happened out there?" Lori asked.

"We ran across a situation." He answered. "Trying to look for Sophia." He looked to Shane. "Bandits."

"Bandits?" Shane asked. "What do you mean _bandits?_"

"From what the girl told us, they go around taking what's not theirs and pillaging and looting and killing." The room got silent, everyone looking to each other. "That's what I've heard so far."

"Are we in danger?" Lori asked.

Rick didn't know the answer, but if the answer wasn't a for sure _no,_ then they knew they had something to worry about. "What are we gonna' do about this?" Shane asked, his tone serious. "We can't have these guys passing through here."

"We'll have to talk to them, get more information." Rick answered. "I want to know what these guys are capable of. We are going to get them healed up and fed and get some information, then send them on their way."

"More mouths to feed." Daryl added, irritated. "We are wastin' supplies on them. Send them off now."

Andrea shot him a look. "It wouldn't kill you to be humane." Daryl didn't respond, but it seemed as if her comment had just rolled off his back.

Maggie was holding a plate of food. "Ya' want to bring it up to them?" her voice was sarcastic. "Or will that just make it too human for you to see them up there beaten to shit, God knows what those men did that girl." She stared him down.

Daryl glared back at her before he stormed out of the house.

* * *

"Thank you." Charlotte said to Maggie, taking the sandwich in her hand. She laughed a little as she bit in. "I didn't realize I was so hungry."

Maggie smiled back. "We haven't went hungry here yet." The door opened as an Asian man brought in a glass of orange juice. He made eye contact with Maggie, stuttered and turned bright red before her left. Charlotte looked to Maggie, grinning.

"What was that?" she asked.

Maggie smirked, glancing into her hands. "Between you and mean, I went on a run with him and things got a little heated." Both women laughed. "He don't know how to deal with it."

"You like him?" Charlotte pressed. Their group was so solemn and quiet, she hadn't had gossip or girl talk in months. She craved that primal interaction.

Maggie smiled about and lifted her shoulders. "I don't know. It's weird, with all of this going on. Hard to believe love could happen after the world ended."

"The world didn't end." Charlotte pointed out. "Civilixation did."

Before Maggie could comment back, Rick walked in. "I was wondering if I could get a word."

"Is now the best time?" Maggie asked.

"I'm fine; my body is useless but I can talk." Charlotte assured Maggie. Rick sat down but Maggie stayed, looking protective.

"I need to know about these bandits." Rick said.

Charlotte thought for a moment. "They're assholes, they'll take anything and everything by force. They don't care if you have sick, or children, they will take. At any cost."

"Would you think they'd come here?"

"No. They want to stick to town; this place is pretty far out. But you can never be too safe." This seemed to satisfy Rick, to an extent.

"I hate to bring it up, but we expect that as soon as you two can get on your feet-"

"We will be gone." Charlotte stated. "I have people to get back to." Rick nodded, standing up and leaving the room.

"Can I get you anything else?" Maggie asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "I'm thinking I'll be going to be now." Maggie left and Charlotte leaned into the sheets, and drifted off.

* * *

**AN: I like to incorporate the video game into this story a little bit. But this Crawford is a lot more dark. Please review :)**


	5. Calling out your name

"So you're just kicking them out?" Lori asked in a shouted whisper. Rick was looking into her eyes, frowning. The two strangers had been with them for a couple of days and were up and walking around. He didn't even have to have the awkward talk with them, they knew it was time to go.

"They have people to get to." Rick said. "It's not like they want to stay with us."

She shook her head. "It doesn't feel right." She looked toward the sky and put her hands on her hips before looking back to Rick. "Shouldn't you go with them or something?"

"Fuck em." Daryl answered, grabbing his crossbow. "I sure as hell won't go. They seem like they're doin' fine on their own."

"Where are _you _going?" Lori asked.

"Huntin'." Daryl grunted. Daryl had had nothing to do with the strangers, and from what anyone could tell we wanted to keep it that way. He didn't even want to send them off.

"Daryl has a point." Rick pointed out. "They don't even seem to want our help Lori, they'll be fine."

"It does feel weird." Andrea interjected.

Rick sighed. "They'll be _fine._"

"If they want help they'll ask." Shane said with some finality. The group got quiet.

"They want to leave." Rick assured his wife, grabbing her hand. "We aren't making them do anything. We'll give them some food and ammo and let them be on their way." Lori pulled her hand away and walked into the other direction.

* * *

"How's your arm?" Charlotte asked as she braided her long hair.

"It's fine." Tanner answered, pacing the room. "We have to go. Check on the others. They probably think we're dead."

"I know, I'm really worried about them. What if the bandits caught up to them?" she asked.

Tanner sighed, sitting on the bed. "I doubt it, they could never find the Motor Inn." Silence fell into the room and Charlotte stared into her lap. The past few days were catching up to her, and her eyes were wet and she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head. "I'm sick of all of this. The running, the fear. We lost Jack." She hiccupped, her face falling into her hands. "This is all so fucked." Tanner lifted himself off of the bed and sat next to her, rubbing her thigh. "My husband is _dead_, Michael said."

"Fuck Michael, he just wants to bone you." Tanner said. "You haven't seen Daryls body, and from what I hear he'd be pretty hard to kill." Charlotte laughed, kind of. "I don't want to fill your head with false hope, I mean I lost everybody. But if he's alive, I know he is out there looking for you. Kicking ass and taking names while doing it." Charlotte leaned her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back. He had a weird way of doing it, but he made people feel better. "We'll go see our people, I'm sure they're safe."

* * *

"_I want a baby." Daryl froze on the couch, looking up at Charlotte. She stood in the doorway, looking at him with those eyes that gave nothing away to what she felt or thought. _

"_A dog?" Daryl quipped, because he couldn't help it. He didn't see this coming, never thought it was on her mind. It never came up. "Les' expensive."_

_Her eyes narrowed. "Why don't you want kids?"_

"_I didn't say that." He said, wondering why she was so angry all of the sudden._

"_You never want to talk about it."_

"_You never brought it up until now." He stood up, trying to process his feelings. He was never around kids, didn't know how to handle them. And Charlotte, even though had calmed down since they officially got together, was one of those free spirits, as Merle called her. He assumed kids weren't on her mind._

_She walked away and went into the kitchen, he followed. She started fussing over the dishes. "Discussion over?"_

"_Yes." She answered shortly._

"_Babe." He said, grabbing her hand. "You got me off guard a little."_

"_Do you want kids?" she asked point blank. Before he was forced to think and answer, their kitchen door opened and Merle walked in. Charlotte rolled her eyes and pulled away from him, starting on the dishes again. Daryl shot his brother the look._

"_What?" Merle asked, walking in. "I'm here for dinner. What did I interrupt?"_

"_Nothing." Charlotte muttered._

_Daryl tried to have a conversation with his eyes; get out, Merle. His older brother rolled his eyes. "I see ya'll are having a dispute. Spose I'll come back later." Charlotte watched him leave, and turned to Daryl._

"_You want a baby?" Daryl asked. She smiled. "I'll give you a baby."_

_She wrapped her thin arms around his waist. "If you don't want a kid-"_

_He scoffed. "I want a kid with ya'." She smiled real big and held him tight. He could tell now that this is what she wanted, and if she wanted it that bad he would do it for her. She would teach him how to take care of a child; she was good at that stuff. "Say something sexy to get me ready." He breathed in her ear._

_He could feel her grin on his jaw. "You better get me pregnant or I'll find someone who will." Daryl laughed pretty hard and picked her up by her tiny body, throwing her over his shoulders and made is way to their bedroom. She was laughing._

"_You always know what to stay to turn me on."_

* * *

Daryl was perched against his tree, smiling at his wedding band. He liked being alone, because he could smile and think about Charlotte. Those assholes didn't need to seem him like this.

Daryl remembered sitting outside of their bathroom door- two months before the walkers. She came out and gave him this big smile and wrapped her arms around him. He smiled and had picked her up. She showed him the positive sign.

But obviously nothing goes as planned. He started to drink after that and Charlotte had taken her and their unborn baby to her sisters house. And before he could get his family back, it was all taken away from him. He knew he didn't deserve it, especially all that hell he put her through that month. In a heartbeat he'd go back, pamper her like he should have with his pregnant wife. Looked through that damn baby book she was already reading, took her to those classes she wanted.

But it was too late now, he'd never get to do that with her.

Daryl shook his head and looked to the farm house. He wanted to be gone when the stangers left because he'd feel like a dick after all the commotion he made about them. As soon as he'd see them, he'd feel bad for being sent off, no hope of stability.

But since he lost his wife, his sympathy was thin.

He thought of Charlotte and waited. Maybe he would just take a glimpse of them.

* * *

"Thank you." Charlotte said for what felt like the final time. She took the gun into her hands and examined it. "The hospitality was too much to expect.

"Just be careful out there." Rick said.

"We'll be fine." Charlotte assured. Tanner started to pace, he was ready to go. They walked out the front door and Charlotte breathed in the air. It would be a brief moment of peace. Some of the group came up and greeted her, wished them well. Rick would be driving them out to the highway so they could pick up a car. Charlotte was smiling.

* * *

Daryl watched as the front door to the house opened. A young, gruff man walked out. He held the door open and Daryl frowned because quiet frequently, he'd see Charlotte. She wasn't there but clear as day she was standing there. Long, pretty red hair and a red flannel shirt. Clear as day she was there, smiling. This was by far not the first time he saw her, his mind playing trick on him because he had a sick evil mind.

But then it started to seem different, almost too real. He took a couple of paces forward, his chest swelling. He would only be disappointed when the vision disappeared. But then Rick came up and put his hand on her shoulder and Daryl's voice echoed throughout the farm, "_Charlotte!"_

* * *

_Daryl had his hand on her stomach after some celebratory sex. "You wanna call Merle in the mornin'?" he asked. She scoffed and it made him laugh. "I hope it has your thick red hair."_

"_Ugh, I don't." she murmured, her hand stroking his hair. His fingers traced her stomach. _

"_I'll have two pretty red heads." He said. Due to the circumstances, he was being more sweet then usual._

"_You think it's gonna be a girl?"_

_He rubbed her stomach more. "It's definitely a girl." He grinned._


	6. I missed you

_Shianne had small resemblances to her sister; they both had the deep red hair and freckles. But Shianne was taller, her facial structure made her more stern looking. While Charlotte had full lips, her top and bottom being the same, Shiannes were thin like her eyes. She had shoulder length hair and dressed a bit more professionally. But they both had that expressionless face, they could be unreadable. However right now Shianne had her eyes narrowed toward Daryl, and he had no idea what was going through her head. _

_Daryl sat in his girlfriend's sisters kitchen chair. She sat across from him with her arms crossed. Finally, she spoke. "Are you serious?"_

"_Yup." For some reason, Shianne didn't like him. The Dixon boys were known all over town, but their infamy came from Merle, and their dad. She could give him looks; like he was disposable. She was the opposite of her sister; Tall, thin, small curves, cold, calm, unexcitable._

_Shianne let out a thin breath and sat back in her chair, her eyes not leaving him. A hand ran through her shoulder length hair. "Are you asking for my permission?"_

"_More of yer' blessing." He grunted. _

_She scoffed. "Well I don't care. She seems to like you for some reason." She stood up and flicked the hood of his sweatshirt. "Might as well get hitched now that you have her fucking name on your chest."_

_Daryl stood up. "I don't get why ya' don't like me." _

"_Because no one in Georgia is good enough for my sister." She answered. "Especially not Ron Dixons child."_

"_I'm not like my dad at all." He said heatedly. "I treat Charlotte better than anyone else would. I provide for her, I make sure she is happy and comfortable."_

_Shianne whipped around. "And what happens when all that shit from your childhood catches up to you? You have to deal with it eventually."_

"_Yeah? I don't see you dealin' with the shit you two went through when you were little. Same shit different pile Shianne." Her eyes got even more narrowed. _

"_You better hold your shit together and take care of her." She sneered. _

"_Bet yer' ass I will."_

* * *

"_CHARLOTTE._" The red head froze momentarily, before looking out into the field. Her heart was beating in her ears and she couldn't breath.

"Daryl?" she called back to the figure, wondering if she was asleep. She took a couple of slow steps down the stairs, he took a couple of steps toward the house but then he was sprinting and so was she. "_Daryl!"_ she was yelling his name as her legs worked overtime to run as fast as she ever had before.

And then her arms were around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He supported her up completely, one hand holding her on the bottom and the other hand buried in her hair, pushing her face into his chest. He had his face in her shoulder and he was crying, and so was she. He fell to his knees and eased himself back, still holding her. She pulled away and grabbed his face, looking at his red eyes. "I thought you were dead." He said quietly. All eyes were on them.

She sobbed a little. "I'm so sorry for everything." He went on. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Everyone had gathered into Hershels living room. Daryl, never one be affectionate with an audience, had Charlotte in his lap and arms wrapped around her. They still couldn't believe it, no one could. What were the odds? Some of the women cried, everyone was smiling.

"Shianne and I got split up at the quarantine. I saw them killing civilians." Charlotte was saying. "Atlanta was a mess. Me and this kid," she nodded at Tanner. "Got out of there before they blew it up."

"It was hard to get her out." Tanner commented. "Kept saying she had to find her husband." Charlotte smiled while she rested her head on Daryls. "She'd never shut up about her damn husband." Everyone laughed. "But I knew she'd find him." Tanner walked up the couple and stuck out his hand. Daryl took it and they gave each other a strong handshake. "Good to meet you brother; now she's you damn problem."

"I wasn't that difficult." Charlotte said, embarrassed.

Tanner rolled his eyes. "Please, anytime the words _dangerous_ and _don't do that_, came up, she'd run right toward it. Every day she was getting herself lost, to far deep, and into situations she could barely get out of."

She looked at Daryl, he smiled. "That's not true." He kissed her.

"And _who_ saved your ass everytime?"

"Say I _was_ getting myself into sticky situations, you would most likely be the one to help me out of them."

Tanner leaned against the wall, smirking. "There was this time, we went on a run to the mall."

"Dear God." Charlotte groaned. The group was laughing, waiting for the story.

"We're all counting our supplies, the mall looks empty enough. Couple of Biters here and there." He went on. "And I notice, of course, this one had wondered off."

"Okay, I just wanted to find some toys for the kids." She interrupted.

"Completely forgetting the buddy system. I go to find her and she is completely surrounded. Here I come, having to save her ass again."

"She has a way of getting into trouble." Daryl agreed, smiling which was weird for everyone; Daryl didn't smile, especially this much.

"It's amazing." Andrea said. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we're happy for you." But then the room got uncomfortable quiet.

Charlotte looked to Tanner. She knew what everyone was thinking, and no one knew how to bring it up. "We still need to go check on the others." She said. Tanner nodded.

"There's no way I can let you go." Daryl said, shocked.

Charlotte looked at him. "I have to go, see if they're okay."

"And then what?" he asked.

She looked to Tanner, he didn't have an answer. "I don't know." It was up in the air, would they be staying(if they were even invited to stay), or would they be taking Daryl with them. "We'll… figure it out."

"I'll go with then tomorrow." Daryl said.

"So will I." Rick added. "Make sure your people are okay." Shane shot him a look and Charlotte hid her head in Daryls shoulder, he rubbed her back.

* * *

"Rick, can I get a minute." Shane asked once the group spread out outside the house.

Rick sighed. "I know this is about me going tomorrow morning." He said.

"We're risking more people for these people." Shane said.

"If you haven't noticed, the circumstances have changed." Rick said in a low voice.

Shane shook his head and smirked. "Yer' gonna' let 'em stay."

"I think it's safe to say they can pull their weight. Or we could choose the alternative, where they take Daryl with them. And believe it or not, Daryl is a pretty huge asset to us."

"And what if they don't want to stay with us man?" Shane asked.

"Well we'll just talk to Daryl." Shane was rolling his eyes and looked toward the tent area.

"Daryl!" he yelled. Daryl looked up and Shane made a motion for him to come over. He said something to Charlotte and walked toward them. When he reached them, he was a good earshot away from the others. "What's the plan."

"With what?" Daryl asked.

"Are ya' leavin' or is she stayin'?"

"I haven't exactly had a chance to figure it out." Daryl said a bit harshly.

"And what about her friend, we jus' let him stay too?"

"Alright now we don't have to make a big deal over it." Rick tried to interrupt the two men, because Daryl was about to go from zen to pissed off.

"I said I didn't get a chance to talk to her." Daryl said, going toe to toe with Shane.

"If they wanted to stay, its fine." Rick said, looking at Shane. This was the wrong answer, apparently. "Don't do this now Shane, come on."

"Yeah, don't do this now Shane." Daryl quipped, causing Rick to physically get in-between them before Shane could get too close. "If they aren't welcome here then I'm gone."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but I gotta say it." Andrea said in front of the group of women preparing dinner. "How does someone get close enough to Daryl Dixon to get him to marry them?" the women laughed, but then looked to Charlotte. It was a serious question to them.

Charlotte smiled. "I took years, and years. He has a tough exterior to get through. But he is all sweet and soft. But seriously, I'm not kidding, years and years." They laughed more. "Daryl has been in my life since I was a child. He always came back into my life, I guess we were meant to be."

Lori was smiling. "Daryl Dixon as a child. I can't imagine that."

Charlotte smirked to herself. "That means you knew Merle." Andrea added.

"Between us girls, if I had it my way he wouldn't be invited to the wedding." The girls chortled together. "Merle is… tough to get. Where is he anyway?" the group got quiet. "He dead?" while Merle wasn't her favorite person on the planet, they were brother and sister and law, Merle would have killed anyone that laid a hand on her.

Andrea was staring at Lori, looking for words. "We're not exactly sure." So she started at the beginning and caught Charlotte up on everything. How Merle got left behind, all they could find was his hand. The CDC. The herd on the highway. Sophia going missing and how Daryl took lead in her search. Charlotte apologized to the little girls mother, assured her that she would join the search.

The women talked some more until Daryl walked over, a hard look on his face. He picked Charlotte up and she laughed.

"I think I should get one day to have alone time with you." He said, hauling her off.

* * *

It was getting dark now. Charlotte let the last wave shake her body and her head dropped on his shoulder. She was in his lap, him sitting up. They panted heavily and he laid them back on his bed, onto their sides. He kissed her bare shoulder and she sighed. "It's been forever."

"I'll say." He grunted, picking up a towel by his cot and he cleaned himself off, then handed her the towel. She followed suit and then formed herself into his body. He stroked her arm, kissing her forehead. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"I didn't think I'd see you again."

She smirked. "I knew I'd see you again." She kissed him and crawled out of bed.

"Wham, bam, thank ya' ma'am." He said, sitting up. She held up a carton of cigarettes and he smirked. "_Parliaments_? I thought you hated them." He stood up, pulling his pants on. Charlotte pulled on underwear and her flannel shirt. She doubted anyone would be up.

"They reminded me of how you smell." She said. They walked out of the tent and sat down, each taking a stick from the pack. "I learned to like them."

They lit up and Daryl sighed. "It's been months since I had a smoke."

"I have a ton at the Motor Inn." Charlotte said. She enjoyed the smoke, because tomorrow she would have to start making decisions.

* * *

Something was wrong. She knew this right away. The gates to the Motor Inn were wide open. She hopped out of the truck and ran. Tanner ran after her. "Michael!" she yelled. "Ruth!"

"Hello?" Tanner shouted. Charlotte stopped in her tracks. There was blood, and bodies. Michael was among them, along with seven other bodies. Charlotte kicked a can over and brought a hand to her head.

"They were all shot." Daryl commented. "Execution style." He stopped talking when Charlotte shot him a look. She bent to her knees and inhaled.

"Ruth isn't here." Tanner said. "None of the kids are either."

"We should see if they left a note." Charlotte said. The first thing she did was go to her hotel room, and sure enough there was a note on her bed.

_Charlotte_

_We got attacked; Violet and I took the kids and ran_

_Godspeed girl._

Charlotte walked out and handed the note to Tanner. "At least they got out." She said.

"And no idea where she's going." Tanner said, looking around. "We could try tracking them." He looked at Charlotte and she started to shake her head as tears slipped down her face. Tanner kicked something hard. "Fucking bandits."

* * *

AN: Alright, I'm ready to get this story started. Their reunion wont be the half of it. Please review.


	7. The truth about bandits

**AN:** Sorry about the filler chapter. Please leave reviews, you guys have been great!

* * *

It had been a few days since the Motor Inn massacre. Charlotte woke up, seeing Daryl was gone. She got dressed and walked toward the women as they worked with the laundry. "Where did the men go?" she asked.

"They're looking for Sophia." Lori answered, looking up.

Charlotte looked to the sun. "Daryl too?" she asked.

"Yeah, Daryl too." Lori answered.

Charlotte frowned. "Of course he went." Charlotte smiled a little and walked toward the RV where Andrea was. She had only been there a few days but Andrea rubbed her wrong. She was too eager to prove herself, that she wasn't "like the other girls". And it irked Charlotte. Her attitude was over all shit, as well.

"What's with the Annie Oakley routine?" Dale tried teasing Andrea as she stood on the RV.

"I'm done doing laundry, Dale." She said shortly. "I'm gonna start helping to protect the camp."

Dale frowned at the shot down and went into the RV. Charlotte chewed on her lip and stared at the horizon. "Go ahead and say it." Andrea said. Charlotte used her hand to shade her eyes and looked up.

"Pardon?" Charlotte asked at the outburst.

"I know you are judging me, just say it. You give me these looks around camp. Just tell me." Charlotte knew what happened at the CDC.

"To be honest you act like a spoiled, ungrateful brat." Charlotte said. She had no problem being honest with girls like this. "Maybe it's about time you get over yourself."

"_To be honest,_ you don't know what I've been through." Andrea said.

"Same thing as every single one of us." Charlotte said. "So why don't you put your big girl pants on and get a move on. Someone stopped you from killing yourself, cry me a fucking river." Andrea seemed to have nothing to say and Charlotte walked away.

A few hours later, all the boys came back. All of them except Daryl. "He said he'd make it back by nightfall." Lori assured. "Come help us with dinner."

Charlotte did the best she could to not worry while she waited for Daryl get back. She looked out the back door and heard commotion outside. She glanced to the kitchen and then stepped out of the house to see all of the men running toward the field, a figure walking into it. It looked like a Biter.

She ran to stand by the RV and watched. They were all standing around the Biter, not doing anything. Then a loud deafening shot rang through the air. "_NO!_" Rick screamed out. _"NO!_" Charlotte broke out into a run, going right toward them. They started to pick up the figure and she realized it was Daryl. "Oh God, is he dead?" she yelled, coming up to them.

"Just unconscious." Rick said.

"What the hell happened to him?" Charlotte asked, examining her husband's body as he was scratched and battered, ears were hanging around his neck. Rick snatched them off.

"We'll get him to Hershel." Rick said. She turned to see Andrea and Dale running up to them.

"Is he dead?" she asked.

"He's alive, no thanks to you." Charlotte said harshly.

"It was an accident." Andrea said, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte- you have to know-" Charlotte cut her off with a look.

* * *

Charlotte was on her knees next to Daryl, he was awake now and staring at her. Hershel was stitching him up. "Had no idea we would be going through antibiotics so fast." Charlotte glared at him; this was her husband they were talking about. "It's a wonder you people made it this far."

When the room was empty, Charlotte stroked his arm, tears falling down her face. "I'm fine." He said gruffly.

She shook her head and laid her face flat in the mattress, her shoulders shaking. He sighed, smoothing her hair down. "Is this what it's going to be now?" she muttered into the mattress. "I didn't think once I found you I'd still have to worry about losing you."

"I'm not dead yet." He pointed out. "I doubt I'm going anytime soon."

She lifted her head up, her face wet. He used his rough hands to wipe her eyes. "I'm scared." She admitted. "Everyone I know is dead; I don't know where Ruth and the kids are. It was a massacre back there."

"They'll be fine."

He wasn't the most comforting person. He didn't know how. "The bandits said something about Crawford."

"What the hell did them son's a bitches do to ya' anyway?" he asked.

"Just beat me up a little." She waved it off.

"What's Crawford?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, they said they would bring me to Crawford."

"I bet it's where they are held up. Come here." He guided her onto the bed and she curled up around him. "I'll find them bandits that hurt you and kill every last fucker there."

"And I'll kill Andrea." She snorted.

"Give her a chance, she's just trying."

"She tries too hard, that's why you got shot in the head." No forgiveness in her voice. The room started to get darker while the sun disappeared in the sky. Charlotte closed her eyes.

"She wanted to protect the group, I can respect that." Charlotte opened her eyes and rolled over to look him in the eyes violently. "What?"

"Were you two fucking around before I got here?"

"What?" he looked offended. "No."

"Then why are you defending her, she shot you in the fucking head." Her head started to swell and her chest tightened at the thought of him sleeping with Andrea.

"I didn't fuck any bitch. I haven't slept with anyone other then you in ten years." She huffed, laying back down. "Not like it'd be with her if I did. I like red heads." He held her hips. "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Fuck anyone else." He asked, raising his voice.

She smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know." But he didn't respond back and she sighed. "No, I didn't. Michael wanted me, but I was uninterested."

"Good." He murmured.

She sat up and straddled him. "I'll go get you some food."

He smirked, grinding his hips into her. "Wanna' do it?"

She rolled her eyes. "You can hardly even move." He smiled a little bit, staring up at her. "What?"

His hands started to draw patterns on her hips as she sat on top of him. "The baby…" he didn't finish.

Charlotte frowned. "Baby didn't make it." Daryl nodded.

"I figured."

"I don't know if it was the stress, or all the physical activity I did trying to get out of Atlanta…" she drifted off. "I'm sorry."

He pulled her down to lay on top of him. "S'not yer fault." He said while his hands drifted up and down her back. "I don't want my daughter coming until all these dead assholes are done roaming around." Charlotte felt a sob in her throat and pulled away, getting off of him.

"I'll get you something to eat."

* * *

Charlotte began to put a plate together for Daryl. "How's he doing?" T-dog asked.

"His spirits are up." She smiled. "He'll be fine."

"I'll help you." Carol said, standing up. She helped carry plates upstairs and stopped her before they entered the room. "Your husband is a good man." She said, her voice tight. Charlotte stopped her thoughts and looked Carol in the eye. "What he did today… He did more for her today then her own daddy did in his entire life. He's a _good man._"

"He is." Charlotte said, because she didn't know what else to say to the women who had no idea where her daughter was. "Come hell or high water, he's going to find her."

Carol nodded. "He's a leader, he needs to know that."

* * *

The next day, Charlotte helped Daryl to their tent and got him settled in. She cleaned his wounds and found a book for him to read. When she left the ten to go get water, Andrea came up to her. "I'm sorry. I feel like shit."

"Good." Charlotte said, filling up a canister.

Andrea sighed, looking around. "I said I'm sorry, what else do you want?"

"I don't want you half ass apology." Charlotte said. "You shot my husband in the head not even a week after him and I get reunited. I'm pissed at you, coming up to me with a lame _sorry _wont cut it, so sorry Andrea."

"Daryl understands. He said it's fine, he's over it. Why can't you be?"

Charlotte stared at her. "When did you talk to him?"

"I apologized when you were getting him food." She said. Charlotte could kill the women. Even if there was no threat to her and Daryls relationship, the fact that Andrea snuck to talk to him made her temper hit her a full blast.

"Stay away from my husband." Charlotte said lowly, going toe to toe with Andrea. She may have been smaller, but Charlotte knew she could take the blonde. "I don't have to like you, or get along with you, but I will work with you. Just don't expect us to making friendship bracelets." She started to walk away and made her way back to the tent until she was caught off by Rick.

"I have some information." Rick said in a low voice. She looked around, no one was in ear shot. "_Crawford._ Have you heard of it?"

"Yeah, those asshole bandits mentioned it when they took me and Tanner." She said.

"While me and T-Dog were combing a nearby town, we ran into this girl." He shook he head, glancing around in paranoia. She knew what he was staying was between them. "She was bruised, beaten, and bloody. We tried to help her, and freaked out. Told us she knew we were from _Crawford._ She pulled out a gun and shot herself right in the head."

"_What?_" Charlotte gasped.

"Whatever this place is, it brought out so much fear in her that she killed herself, she didn't even hesitate." His voice dropped. "We are going back to the town to look for some information. Wonderin' if you'd be interested."

"I'm assuming this is a secret."

"As far as anyone knows, you, me, and Glen are going to go look for Sophia tomorrow morning." Rick answered. She nodded.

"I'm in."

* * *

"No way in hell." Daryl said.

"What are you gonna do, get up and stop me?" Charlotte took her two glocks and put them in her holsters that rested on both sides of her hips. It was early in the morning; Charlotte hadn't mentioned getting up early and leaving the night before to her husband. "You can't exactly tell me what to do."

He didn't think it was as funny as she did. "I don't want you out there without me there to keep an eye on you."

"Rick will keep an eye on me." She assured. "I'm going to be just fine."

"I'm serious Charlotte." He said while raising his voice. He struggled to sit up, and he looked pissed. "I don't want you going."

"I have to get out and do something." She assured. "I'll be back before you miss me, I promise." She kissed his head and left the tent before he could put more word in edgewise. She found Rick and Glen and got into the car with him. Everyone thought they were going to look for Sophia, but they made their way to a small town almost fifty miles out from the farm. They got out of the car and Charlotte started to examine the area. "They for sure were here." She said, looking at a corpse. "This girl wasn't bit; she was shot in the head."

Charlotte walked into the general store and it was completely picked through. She looked through the bodies, looting gun and ammo. She came across a little girl clutching a doll. Charlotte kneeled next to her and smoothed her hair down. Fucking bandits had no lines, she was a disgusted. They obviously didn't need to kill the little girl, she was no threat at all.

"Don't _fucking_ move!" she heard someone yell outside. She grabbed her guns and ran out the store and froze. Three people were pointing their guns at Glen and Rick, and they were all staring at Charlotte.

"I'm warning you right now to put your guns down." Rick said as calmly as he could.

"Put _yours _down!" a girl said, she had dark hair and dark skin, with her was a man with light blonde hair and a meek body. Another boy was with them, he couldn't be any older than 16. "You bastards, coming through and taking what you want!"

"We didn't do this." Charlotte tried to explain. The woman's gun was trained on her head now.

"Shut up! I swear to God I will kill every last one of you _Crawford bastards!"_

"Wait!" Charlotte said. "What do you know about Crawford?" the women looked confused, and hesitant. "Someone from Crawford took me and my friend and beat the hell out of us. We're looking for information about Crawford."

The women looked to the blonde man. "What do you think?" she asked.

The man looked at Charlotte. "Do you have kids with you?"

"My son." Rick said. "Carl."

"We have a little girl that went missing too." Charlotte added. The man lowered his weapon.

He looked to the women. "I'll trust them. One wrong move and it's done." He warned. Charlotte nodded.

* * *

The two groups sat in a bar, looking at one another. "Crawford is a town, 20 miles south of here. It's a town of survivors."

"No children, no sick people. If you don't meet their standards, they kick you out. They send their 'soldiers' out. They kill and take." The women added, and then nodded to the teenaged with them. "They kicked Mikael out for his mild asthma."

"They just kicked me out. No food or weapons." The young boy said. "They take women. It's no secret what they do to them either." He added. The group talked some more, telling horror stories about the town of Crawford. It seemed like a ghost town people talked about, but from what these people were saying it was very much real. And a living nightmare.

"We saw a few of them heading north a couple of hours ago." Charlotte and Rick looked to one another. The farm was a straight shot north. "You look worried."

"We have a group north." Rick said.

"Better get your women taken care of." The women said. "They don't care about killin' kids neither. They'll probably leave the men alive just to torture them."

Charlotte stood up. "We have to go."


	8. Walkers in the barn

"Drive faster!" Glen was yelling from the backseat.

"No back seat driving." Charlotte said mindlessly, picking at the fray of her pants.

"Didn't you hear them?" he almost shouted. "Those bandits are headed straight to the farm."

Charlotte turned around and looked at him. "We would have passed them on the way down here if they were headed toward the farm."

Glen chewed on his lips. "This isn't the way tot the farm."

"I know." Rick said. "I'm following these car treads."

"We're going toward the Crawford people?" Glen asked. "After all they just told us about them? They'll kill us and take Charlotte."

"I can't find the treads." Rick said. "They disappeared." He added, glancing at Charlotte. She knew what he was thinking.

"We need to get Daryl." She said.

"Can I just ask why we need to find these people?" Glen asked. "We haven't run into them now… Well, most of us haven't." Charlotte gave the boy an amused look in the rearview mirror. "If we just leave them alone, they'll leave us alone."

"It doesn't work like that." Charlotte said. "We leave them alone, they don't know we exist. Then if they blow through the farm…" she gestured with her hand, and then looked to Rick. Her voice was low as she asked, "Why _are_ we going to them? They outnumber us, they have a whole town."

Rick was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. I figure if we pick them off when they are in small groups, we'll have less to worry about."

Charlotte didn't respond. She didn't know if Rick had ever 'picked off' a person other than a Biter. She knew Rick was a leader, but it took a lot to kill a person.

* * *

"_Look at this." Tanner said, holding up a snow globe. Charlotte laughed. It had Micky and Minnie mouse holding each other and a dancing pose._

"_It's cute." She commented, holding it in her hands._

_Her and Tanner were on a run at a town they never had a problem with bandits in. Charlotte was collecting sweatshirts for the kids for when it started to get cold outside. She remembered last winter it snowed quite a bit, who knew if it would snow in Georgia again this year._

"_How about these?" Tanner asked. He was holding up a pair of purple snow boots with a Disney princess on it. "Ruth's favorite color is purple."_

_Charlotte smiled, examining. "They're a little big."_

"_Kid's grow constantly. I figured she wouldn't outgrow them this year."_

"_Good thinking." Charlotte commented._

_The air got thin and Charlotte immediately drew her weapon, Tanner doing the same. They heard footsteps coming toward them. They pointed their weapons toward the door. Two men walked through, a larger one and a thin one. "Well well, it's been a while since we've seen other people." The skinnier one said, a sick smile on his face. "Especially one so pretty." He winked at Charlotte, she didn't lower her weapon. She stared him down, her bangs failing into her eye._

_He held up his gun, a sign of peace. Tanner looked to her and she lowered her gun, still holding onto it. "I'm Alex." The man said. "You guys have kids with you? I haven't seen a kid in over a month." He grinned to his friend. "Where are you guys held up?"_

"_We aren't accepting any new tenants. Sorry." Tanner said. _

_The men looked at one another and were chuckling. "So untrusting. We're nice guys, aren't we Damo?"_

"_We sure are." The other man grinned._

"_See, Damo says so." Alex took a step toward Tanner. "Do you have more pretty women on you? Cause I've been getting real lonely." Neither replied. "No? Just her?" he looked Charlotte up and down. "I'll take what I can get." He picked up Tanners backpack which was full of food. "And we'll take this, if you don't mind."_

"_We do mind." Charlotte said._

"_She speaks!" Alex raised his arms up, smiling. Charlotte made eye contact with Tanner, he nodded to her._

"_Put the backpack down, turn around, and leave. No hard feelings." Tanner said. Alex reached for his gun._

"_See, I don't think so. We're going to take your stuff, and you guys are gonna come with us." He unholstered his gun. "And I can't wait to get you back to my place." He grinned at Charlotte. Tanner went to grab his gun and Alex raised it to point at him and before he could Charlotte sent a round in his chest, another in his shoulder. He dropped. Before his friend could draw Tanner shot him in the head. _

_Alex withered on the ground. Tanner stood over him, grabbing his gun. "I'm gonna' take this, __**if you don't mind**__." Another shot to the head and Alex was gone. He looked to Charlotte. "Sorry, I didn't want to risk him escaping and finding us."_

_She nodded. "I understand."_

* * *

Charlotte made her way toward the tent and checked in on Daryl. "How's it going?" she asked him. He stared at her through narrowed eyes, not answering. She sighed and sat next to him. "We went to a town, about an hour from here."

"Guessing you weren't lookin' fer' Sophia." He said. "Liar."

"We got some information on Crawford." She went on. "They're worse than we originally thought."

"I don't want you going after them guys anymore." Daryl said.

"I can't just stay behind. I'm the only one who personally have run into them."

He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Then stop going without me." He looked at her. "At least compromise with me."

She smiled. "All right."

* * *

The next morning, Charlotte convinced Daryl to leave the tent and join the group for breakfast. They sat side by side and he had one hand on her leg, the other maneuvering the fork into his food. The air around the group was tense, Rick looked far away, Lori trying to pull him back. Glen was pacing around, looking around like he was paranoid. Andrea and Shane kept side looking at each other.

Daryl leaned over and talked to her in her ear. "What the hell is going on?"

"I know right?" she said quietly.

Charlotte at her food and waited, something was bound to give. Glen stepped up to the m middle of the group. "Guys." All eyes were on him. "There are walkers in the barn."

* * *

Everyone made their way toward the barn. Shane was the first one to reach it, peering inside. "You alright with this?" he asked Rick.

"Of course not, but we're guests here. This is _Hershels _land."

"That's _bullshit_!" Shane yelled.

"Keep your voice down!" Charlotte hissed at him.

He whipped around and pointed his finger in her face. "Don't _ever tell me _what do."

Her hand smacked his a way and got closer to him. "Don't put you _fucking hands_ in my face."

Shane got way too close for comfort; he was in her space, towering over her. He was trying to intimidate her. "Don't put your hands on me." He warned. She shoved him as hard as she could to get him away from her. Rage filled his eyes and he went to go toe to toe with her again but Daryl was in the middle; he was Shanes height, Shane couldn't tower over him.

"_Back off._" Daryl warned. Rick intervened and grabbed Shane. Shane ripped his hand away and started to pace.

"This ain't right." T-Dog said, gesturing toward the barn. "We can't just ignore this."

"We either got to go in there, make things right, or we just gotta go." Shane said, looking at Rick. "What about Fort Benning?"

"We can't go." Rick hissed at him.

"And why not?" Shane asked.

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol spoke up.

"We aren't going without Sophia." Charlotte said to assure Carol.

Shane almost laughed in frustration. "Alright, we need to start thinking of the other possibilities."

"Leaving Sophia is not an option." Rick interrupted.

"We're close to finding this girl!" Daryl said. "I just found her damn doll a few days ago."

This time, Shane really did laugh. "That's what you found man, a damn _doll._"

Daryl froze for a moment before he started to walk Shane. "Man, you don't know what the _hell _you're talking about!" Rick put an arm out between both men.

"Alright, alright." Rick tried to interrupt.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said here!" Shane said. "If you don't get a good lead in the first 48 hours the chances of finding her are _gone._" Charlotte came up to Daryl's side; Sophia going missing had taken him personally, and if Shane crushed this for him, she's probably kill him. "And let me tell you _what _man." Daryl paced on both feet, staring at Shane.

"Enough!" Rick was saying, looking Shane in the eye.

But he didn't stop. "If she was alive out there, saw you comin', all methed out with you buck knife, geek ears around your neck, she'd _run away in the other direction._"

Daryl took a step forward, yelling, "_Shut your mouth!_" at Shane as Rick strained to keep them apart. Daryl was trying to get around Rick, to get at Shane. When Shane started to fight back Charlotte got in front of Daryl, pushing him away.

"Daryl!" she yelled as he struggled against her.

"Come on man let's go!" Shane was yelling. "Trying to come up on me!"

"Fuck you!" Daryl spat.

"Daryl, that's enough!" Charlotte said, using all her strength to fight against her husband.

Shane started to pace again. "Just let me talk to Hershel!" Rick shouted to him.

"What is there to say!" Shane yelled, walking toward Rick. Lori shoved him away.

"Stop!" she yelled at him.

"If we are going to clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is _his land._"

Dale spoke up. "Hershel thinks these are people! _Sick_ people!" he looked to Rick. "His wife, his step son, people he knew are in there."

Charlotte stared at Dale. "You knew?"

"Yesterday. I talk to him about it." Dale answered her.

"And you let us sleep through the night not knowing." Shane scoffed.

"I thought we could survive one more night." Dale answered harshly. "_We did. _Glen wanted to be the one to say something."

Shane started yelling to Rick, but stopped when they could hear the moans and hisses' from the barn as the doors shook. Charlotte shot a look at Shane. "I told you to keep it down."

* * *

"What do ya think?" Daryl asked her.

They were walking through a camp, and she shook her head. "I don't like it. I just don't feel safe."

He nodded. "I don't like them bein' so close." He threw an arm around her shoulder.

"They're dangerous. Whether they're people or not, they are still dangerous."

"That old man is crazy." Daryl said, referring to Hershel. He glanced back to the barn, where Andrea was guarding it. "If they had gotten out, it would have been a massacre here."

"What are we going to do until we figure out what we are doing about them Biters?" she asked.

"I'm not gon' be able to sleep until we take care of 'em." He answered. "But for today, I'll just worry about looking for Sophia."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" she asked. "You haven't givin' your body a lot of time to heal. We barely got you back in one piece last time."

"I'm going out with Rick later. I'll be fine." He said shortly, not pleased with the idea that she worried about him. He'd be fine, damn it.

* * *

It was later in the afternoon, Charlotte was playing a game with Carl on the porch of Hershels house. Glen and Maggie were getting cozy on the steps, talking quietly. She looked up to see Daryl walking toward the house, and she smiled at him. He smiled back, walking up the steps. "Want some lemonade?" she asked, holding her cup up for him.

"Yes ma'am." He said, taking a couple of large drinks. "Have any of ya' seen Rick? We are supposed to head out hours ago."

Andrea and T-Dog were walking up now. "He went off with Hershel a while ago." Andrea answered. "He should have been back by now."

"Isn't anyone taking this seriously?" Daryl asked, stepping off the porch again. "We got's a damn trail!" he gestured to the general direction. "Oh, here we go."

He was referring to Shane walking up. He took a few steps toward Shane, red bandana hanging out. Daryl slowed to a stop when he saw Shane holding a bag of guns.

A feeling sunk into Charlotte's stomach and she stepped off the porch. Shane came up to Daryl. "You wanna protect your women?" Daryl stared at him for a small moment, then nodded. "Then you with me?" he held out a shot gun to Daryl.

Daryl nodded again, "Yeah." Daryl took the shotgun and looked back at Charlotte. She was staring Shane down. He looked to T-Dog and Andrea.

"You got yours?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. I thought we weren't allowed to carry?" Andrea asked.

"We can if we have to." Shane said. "It was one sittin' around and pickin' daisies when we thought this place was safe. Now we know it ain't." he nodded toward the barn. He walked up to Glen. "How about you man? You gonna' protect your own too?" Glen hesitated, glancing at Maggie. He reluctantly took the gun. "How about you? Can you shoot?"

"Can you stop?" Maggie asked. "My dad see's you passing out guns and he'll make you leave tonight."

"What is going on?" Lori asked, coming out of the house.

"We can't leave Shane." Carl said.

"We ain't going anywhere. Now Hershel is just gonna' have to understand." He got on one knee to be eye level with Carl. "Now take this, and protect your mom, all right? You do what it takes."

Lori pushed Carl away from Shane and looked him in the eyes violently. "Rick said no guns. This isn't your decision, you don't get to make this call." She was patronizing, talking down to, Shane.

"Oh shit." Daryl said. Charlotte in the others turned to see Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy come into view with Biters on a leash. Shane started to sprint off toward the field and Charlotte was first to sprint after him.

"Shane!" she called out, trying to stop him, but he wouldn't stop. He was on a mission.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shane yelled as he came up to Rick.

"Shane, back off!" Rick warned.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked, struggling as the walker he was leading fought against him.

"Are you kidding me? Do you see what they are holding on to?" Shane asked.

"I see who I'm holding on to!" Hershel yelled to him.

"It's bullshit!" Shane said. "These things aren't sick, they aren't people. They are dangerous! These things right here _kill._ They killed Amy!" he said to Andrea, she nodded. Charlotte rolled her eyes because she knew Andrea would agree to anything Shane said. "They'll kill all of us unless we do something!"

"Shane, shut up!" Rick held the Biter away from him. He couldn't control Shane and a Biter at the same time.

"Hershel, let me ask you something man. Could a person, a living breathing person-" Shane pulled out his gun.

"Shane, don't!" Charlotte yelled. She agreed that he Biters had to be taken care of, but not like this.

"-Could they walk away from this?" he shot a round into the biters abdomen. "That's three rounds to the chest! Could someone _alive_ just take that?" he fired another round. "That's its heart! Why is it still coming?"

"That's enough!" Rick yelled.

"You're right man, that is enough." Shane fired a round into the head, the biter dropping to the ground. Hershel was in shock.

"Enough! Risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough! Living next to a barn full of things trying to kill us. Enough! Rick, it ain't like it was before! If you want to live, to survive, then you got to fight for it! Fight, right here!" he ran to the barn, everyone started to yell, Charlotte couldn't concentrate on the words. Shane took a pick axe to the barn doors, ripping off the lock and attracking all the biters. He took a step back as the door opened. One by one, they started to come out.

"Charlotte!" Daryl called looking around.

"Daryl." She called back.

"Stay back!" he said, running next to Shane and joining in the fire. Andrea and T-Dog joined them. Charlotte was frozen, the gun shots rang in her ears, the biters dropped one by one. Rick was yelling, Carl was crying.

The herd started to slow, until there was nothing left. The air around them seemed to still, time had stopped. Daryl lowered his gun, surveying the bodies before looking back at Charlotte. She just stared back, she knew he was looking for a sign of approval, that she wasn't mad, but she didn't know what she felt. For a few moments, it was silent.

But then they could hear tiny moans coming from the barn. They picked up their weapons, aiming. A little girl emerged, shielding her eyes from the light, then looked up. She was a biter.

Charlotte's heart ached, but when no one fired she became confused. In fact, they lowered their weapons, staring at the turned little girl. It wasn't until she heard Carol that it clicked. "Oh god." She said. "Sophia. Sophia!" Carol started to run but Charlotte grabbed her, causing them to tumble over. Carol struggle a little, tears falling down her face. "Oh God, no!"

Sophia, as Charlotte realized, stated to make her way toward the group. No one knew what to do, they just stood there. Rick looked around, and took a step forward. "Don't look." Charlotte said to Carol. The older women sobbed into the red heads shoulder. Charlotte's body shook as she heard the gun fire, Carol sobbed harder. She pulled away and ran toward the house. Charlotte stood up, looking to Daryl. He was walking toward her, but he didn't stop and went past her. She reached out for his arm but he shook it off, and kept walking.

"Daryl." She called out. "_Daryl!_"


	9. Shot

Charlotte ran after Daryl. He was at their tent, throwing everything out. "What are you doing?" she asked. He didn't answer, just picked things up and threw them out. "Daryl!" she yelled. "What the hell?"

"I'm movin' the tent!" he yelled, throwing the blankets out. Once it was emptied, he started to dismantle it.

"Daryl." She tried to stop him, but his ears were closed to reason. "Daryl, enough!" she grabbed his arm and he withdrew with force, spinning around to stare down on her. She stared back up at him. "Don't do this, Daryl. Just don't."

"We're better off on our own." He muttered, turning around to keep take the tent down. "I'm done with these people."

"We need these people." She said. "And they need you."

He scoffed. "They don't need me."

"Carol said it herself, you could run this group. Believe it or not, they'd fall apart without you." He rolled his eyes at her. "Daryl, I'm serious."

He threw one of the tent poles, kicking the rest down. "If I was so great I would have found her a long time! Before she turned to a geek." His voice echoed, the only time he had shouted like this was the last month before infection.

"That's not on you." She tried to calm him down, grab him before he sunk down into his pit he couldn't be pulled out of. Whenever he got like this, time was the only thing that brought him back.

"Why don't you go do something, I'm busy. Got no time to be chit chattin'." He turned away from her.

"Daryl, don't do this please." She begged. "Daryl. I need you, _please._"

"Get out o' here!" he yelled. "Just let me be!" tears threatened to spill and Charlotte ran from him. She ran to the RV and found Carol in there, sitting at the table, looking out the window. Charlotte sat across from her, not saying a word.

"How's he taking it." Carol asked, eyes still trained out the window.

"Not well." She choked out. "I'm so sorry." And that was all she could say. And the women just sat there, in silence.

* * *

Daryl dragged the tent far away from the house, set it back up, and put everything back in it. He stared at the house, it seemed a mile away.

All he wanted was to be alone, with Charlotte anyway. But he was falling back into the pattern where he didn't know how to shut his mouth, how to not push her away.

He sat against the stones, buckling down and putting his head in his hands. All that time wasted, all that time he believed Sophia was out there, hiding. She couldn't make it. He couldn't help her. She was alone and scared, and that's what was killing him. Knowing what that little girl felt like in her final days, it tore him apart.

* * *

_Daryl was outside, smoking his Parliament. It was one of those few times he looked around and realized he had something to be proud of. _

_He had just gotten back from his honeymoon a week ago, had his own set of land, a wife, a stable job. He glanced at Charlotte, she was bringing out lemonade to the boys, wearing a pretty dress. "I hate to rush any of you but I want this deck done by nightfall."_

_One of the guys from his work scoffed. "Yeah right. Try next week."_

_Daryl walked over. You heard the lady, she wants it done tonight." He grinned at her, she grinned back at him. He flicked his cigarette. She gave him a look._

"_I put the coffee can out for a reason." She scolded. He scooped her up and brought her inside, the men groaning. A couple of his work friends were over, helping them build a deck. They were getting paid for it, so Daryl couldn't care less if they complained._

_He dropped her on the couch and crawled on top of her, kissing her neck. "Babe, we have people outside."_

"_I'm sure we can be quiet." He smirked, his hands running up her skirt. She was laughing, hardly trying to push him away. What started out as fun and flirty at first got passionate and serious quick. She breathed heavily as he undid himself from his pants, lifting her skirt up. She moaned in his ear, he whispered her name, his heart racing as all the good feelings filled his body. _

_God his life was good._

* * *

Hours later, Charlotte stepped out of the RV. As soon as she did, Lori came up to her. "Can you talk to Daryl?"

"What'd he do?" Charlotte asked, worried.

"He's shut up way out in the field. I asked him to go find Rick and Hershel, Beth went into shock and they went into town to find Hershel, and he exploded on me."

Charlotte stared at Lori. "You can't find your husband so you try to send mine off after him?"

"That's not-"

"Why don't you try to keep track of your husband and not send mine to run errands for you. It's not his problem." Charlotte didn't care if she hurt Lori's feelings, if she wanted things done she didn't need to go to Daryl and send him out in harms way. She could do it herself. However, Charlotte would go out. She told Carol she was heading out before taking a car and going into to town.

* * *

Charlotte walked in the bar, "What'd I miss?"

Rick looked relieved to see her. "Just convinced Hershel here to give up drinking."

Charlotte nodded. "Good man. Lori wants you to come back. Beth has gone into shock."

"Is she alright?" Hershel asked.

"That's all I know." Before she could go on, the doors to the bar opened up. A large man, and a small Hispanic man walked in.

"Well holy shit, they're alive."

* * *

"I'm Dave." The Hispanic said, then nodded to his friend. "That skinny douchebag is Tony." Charlotte smirked and took a shot. "And who are you?" he asked charmingly.

"I'm Charlotte." She smiled back.

Dave grinned at her. "Nice to meet you, _cher._" Charlotte smiled even bigger at the French term. The man had to have Cajun in him.

"It's nice to meet others. I'm Glen."

"Rick Grimes."

"Aren't you gonna have a drink?" Dave asked Hershel.

"I quit today." Hershel answered.

"You have a unique sense of timeing my friend." Dave joked. While he was handsome, he was a stranger. Charlotte would keep her distance.

"That's Hershel, he lost people today. A lot of them." The room grew quiet and Dave's eyebrows pulled together in genuine sympathy.

"I'm truly sorry to hear that." He answered, taking a drink. "To better days and to new friends." Charlotte nodded and took a drink. "I'll tell you, it's rough out there." He added. "Where you guys held up? It doesn't look like you're living in your cars." Charlotte glanced at Rick. He had clearly just switched into a defense mode. "Cars are perfectly clean. Are you staying in the outskirts of town?"

"We have a group stationed a ways down." Glen looked to Charlotte nervously; the air thinned and the room was tensed.

"Like a trailer? A house development?" Dave leaned in more. "Or a farm?"

"Old McDonald had a farm…" Tony sniggered as he slid over to a corner in the room, his back to them and the sound of his pants unzipping. Charlotte decided she didn't like these men.

Dave chuckled a bit. "You set up on a farm?" Rick was staring at him hard. He looked trapped in a corner. "Do you have food and water?"

"And girls?" tony chipped in. "Its been weeks…"

"Excuse my friend." Dave cut him off.

"We're setting off." Rick said.

"Now wait a minute, this farm seems like a sweet deal." Dave went on.

"Real sweet." Tony added, zipping his pants off and facing them. Charlotte mindlessly went to place a ran on her gun. This wasn't heading down a good road.

"We have bodies back at camp." The man almost sounded sincere, but there was something about him and his voice that sent red flags. "They're having a real hard time." Charlotte caught Rick glancing to her; she tried to convey what she thought through her eyes. He gave a curt nod. "You could make room for a few more couldn't you?"

"I'm sorry, that's not an option." Rick answered. The two men exchanged a look. Dave shook his head a little. "We can't take in anymore, we're already over capacity."

Dave laughed, and that's what irked Charlotte. For people wanting somewhere to stay, they were going about it all wrong. "You guys are something else. I thought we were friends. We have people to look out for too." Tony for sure Charlotte didn't trust, but Daves voice was silk and he chose the right words and it was hard for Charlotte to not trust him, but her instincts told her no, and she would follow those.

"We don't know anything about you." Charlotte shot back.

Dave looked to her, looked her up and down. He had a look in his eye, the kind of looks she would get in bars every once in a while right before Daryl knocked them out for getting too close for his comfort. "That's right, Cher. You don't know a thing about us. What we've been through, what we've had to do. Same things you probably had to do." Rick was stone now, looking at Dave blankly. "No one has clean hands in this world."

"This is bullshit." Tony interrupted.

"Calm down." Rick warned.

"Don't tell me to calm down, don't you _ever fucking _tell me to calm down." Tony blew up, and that closed the book right there for those men to ever have a chance.

"Back off." Charlotte said in a low voice.

"I'll shoot you assholes in the head and take your fucking farm." Charlotte's gun was out and pointed at Tony's head by the time Rick stood up.

"Choose your words very _fucking _carefully." Charlotte said.

"Woah, woah!" Dave said, standing up, putting a hand to his friend to warn him to calm down. "Nobodies killing anybody." He hopped over the bar and let out a sigh. "Just friends having a drink." He added as he went under the bar to pull out a bottle. Rick had his hand on his gun, Charlotte lowered hers to her side. "You gotta' understand, we can't go back out there. Don't you know how it is?"

"I do know. But the farm is too crowded so I'm sorry but you're gonna' have to keep looking."

"Keep looking huh? Where do you suggest we go?"

"I don't know." Rick said, his patience thin. "I hear Florida's nice."

Dave laughed. "Florida. This guy." Then any smile was gone from his face and he went for his gun. Rick shot him in the head before he could and Dave dropped. Another shot went off and Charlotte whipped around and shot Tony. The room went silent, Charlotte looked around to see who fired the second shot, but all eyes were on her.

"Oh God." Glen said.

Charlotte looked down, blood seeping from her thigh. "Oh, Fuck."

* * *

Daryl walked into the Greene home, it was morning and Charlotte hadn't come to the tent last night. If she was ignoring him, he could at least know she was somewhere safe.

They were having breakfast. Lori spotted Daryl. "Did Charlotte make it back okay?"

He froze. "Back from what?" the room got quiet and no one said anything, just looked at each other. "_Back from what?_"

"She went after Rick and Hershel yesterday." Andrea answered finally.

"She _what?_" he blew up.

"We though you knew." Andrea defended.

"I didn't know shit about her leavin'. Ya'll just let her go without sayin' nothin' to me?"

"We thought she would have told you-"

"She don't tell me shit, that's her thing." Daryl snapped on her. He was getting heated up. _Charlotte wasn't in the house. She wasn't pissed off at him and safe at the farm. She was out god knows where. _It was shear panic, that was all Daryl could think of; not knowing where she was. He didn't know if she was okay or not. Or if she even made it to Rick. "Ya'll are worthless." Daryl tore out of the house.

"Wait up now." Shane said, going after him out of the house. "I can't let you go out there-" he grabbed Daryls arm to stop him but he tore is arm away.

"Ya' don't have a say in what I do!" Daryl yelled. Before a fight could break out, they heard the familiar sound of a car coming. Daryl was frozen, staring to see if his wife would be in the car.

The car pulled to a stop and he could see her in the backseat. Hershel jumped out of the car. "Patricia, get two beds ready, we have injured!" he called out, opening the back seat and helping Charlotte out. There was blood all over her, his heart stopped. He ran over to her, thinking the worst.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

"She was shot at the bar." Hershel answered.

"_Shot?_" he slowed down, losing all air in his body and he froze again, his feet stuck in his tracks. He couldn't move, he could only watched as the brought her inside before his legs started to move again.

* * *

**AN** sorry it took so long to update. Leave me some more wonderful reviews?


	10. I'm not fine

_Daryl was sitting at the bar, sipping on the same drink he ordered over an hour ago. Some guys from work were there, and their girlfriends. But most of them weren't at the bar, they were dancing with their girls. But he knew that Charlotte knew he wasn't that guy; He couldn't just take her and dance with her and public. That wasn't who he was. He would dance with her alone just fine at their apartment just fine. But she knew that and it was okay with her. She just danced with some girlfriends and got tipsy._

_They were at Jacks, the skeezy bar of town. They had an 18 plus night on Saturdays, but tonight was Friday so there was no highschoolers there getting taken advantage of by the older guys, or trying to get drinks from the older pretty girls. Fridays were a calm night, they were the undesignated night for the workers like Daryl and his friends. _

_He glanced over toward the dance area; some girls were looking at Charlotte's hand and her new ring. "It goes all down hill from here." Daryl looked back to find Scotty, a guy from work. He was already drunk._

"_Yeah, ya' already told me that an hour ago." Daryl said, not in a mood to amuse the work clown. _

_Scotty started to laugh, Daryl wasn't sure why. He looked back to see some guy talking to Charlotte. It was one of the things he got used to; people were drawn to her, especially ones at skeezy bars. He got to the point where he didn't charge in every time, Charlotte could handle herself. Once he got to that point, he just sat back and watched her cut them down, she didn't entertain or teased them. _

_But then he grabbed her wrist, probably wanted to dance, but she recoiled away from him. Daryl was already up and walking across the bar. Charlotte saw him and watched her sigh. He didn't care, because he drew the line somewhere._

* * *

Charlotte was eased down onto the bed, she could barely make out Daryl shouting. "Would you calm down?" she said as loud as she could, but her head was pounding and her vision was getting white around the edges, threatening to swallow her up. "Daryl."

"What the fuck happened out there?" good question. Charlotte looked to Rick.

"We had a problem. There was a shoot out. She was in the line of fire." Oh yeah, she was shot. By that fat asshole. "We ran into another group of people, and it got out of hand. We took care of them until more trouble showed up. She passed out."

"Who the fuck is that kid?" Daryl asked, gesturing to the wall, presumably to someone on the other side.

"They left him behind. He got impaled, right through his leg. We couldn't leave him?"

Charlotte could only remember everything in bits and pieces, she remembered getting out of the bar, the kids face, and making it into the car. The migraine was blocking everything out. "Where is that old man, why isn't he stitching her up?"

"He's hurt worse a lot more then me." Charlotte spoke up. "I'm fine…"

"You got shot." Daryl snapped.

"In the leg. My head hurts worse then my fucking leg." He ran out of the room, without a word. She was ready to scream at him, whether or not her head was threating to end her. When he came back he sat next to her on the bed, pulling out a ziplock bag full of prescription bottles.

"Take these." He said, holding out two pills. "Muscle relaxers, they'll get rid of the headache and knock you out for a while." She sighed, grabbing his face. He made eye contact with her and his look shattered her; He looked scared. She always knew things were okay if he wasn't worried, but when her husband was worried over something, it put fear in her.

"Thank you." She said. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Just take 'em." He grumbled. She did, gladly. Anything to get rid of the pain in her head.

* * *

It took ten minutes for Charlotte to pass out. Daryl stood up, running a hand through his hair. He looked to Rick. There was no doubt he blamed him for everything. "If I had it my way she wouldn't have come out." Rick said, knowing by the look Daryl had what the man was thinking. "She came out to us, I had no knowledge until she got there. I brought her back alive."

"Why isn't he in here working on her?" Daryl asked again.

Rick walked over to Charlotte's side. "His situation is a little more life threatening." Daryl walked over and started to unbutton her pants. He paused, looking at Rick.

"Ya' mind?" he asked aggressively. Rick turned his back to them and Daryl pulled her pants down past her thigh, examining her leg. It looked pretty gnarly. He rolled her onto her side to look at the back. "Lucky for ya'll it went straight through her. We just gotta get her stitched up."

"I'll do it." Maggie said, grabbing some alcohol. "How knocked out is she?"

"One pill will put you out hard for a good couple of hours. I'd say she's good." Daryl answered. "Won't feel it as much otherwise." Then he glanced to Rick. "Ya' can go check on that kid ya' brought home with ya'." Rick took the hint, ducking his head and exiting the room. Maggie rubbed the alcohol into her wound. "That didn't wake her."

"This just might." Maggie said as soon as she began to thread into the needle. She looked scared as she glanced at Daryl.

"Ya've done this before haven't ya?" he asked.

She paused. "I know how to do it." Before Daryl could suggest waiting for Hershel, but then they heard screams from the other room, figuring they wouldn't be done for a while. How hard could stitches be?

Daryl braced her leg as Maggie began to tear into the skin. It took a couple of seconds for Charlotte to come through, she looked at them with an amuzed, glazed look. "What are you doing?"

"Sitichin' you up." Daryl answered.

She laughed. "It hurts."

Daryl smirked, still suppressing her leg down. "Yer fine, just lay back, it'll be done soon." Charlotte laid her head down but continued to stare at her husband; she was gone mentally.

"I'm sorry Daryl." She said, smiling yet.

"Fer what?" he asked.

"The baby." She said. Daryl glanced at Maggie, who averted her eyes away from him.

"It's okay."

"I'm so sorry. I couldn't handle the stress. I feel awful-"

"Babe-

"And you are just doing fine. You don't even care."

"I never said I was fine." He said quietly. "Lay back and relax." Charlotte looked at him briefly before closing her eyes. Daryl stared at Maggie; she wouldn't look at him. Once Charlotte was stitched he stood up. "Ya' can leave, I got it."

She stood up as well and stared at him with wide eyes. "Daryl-"

"I said I got it." He dismissed. She blinked a few times before ducking her head down, walking out of the room. His eyes followed as she left. When the door closed he sat on the chair next to the bed.

* * *

Pain was the first thing that hit her.

Charlotte opened her eyes and grabbed at her leg, it was sore. Then she noticed she was in her underwear. "Ya' up?" she looked to find her husband.

She squinted at him. "I feel like shit." She propped up against the bed frame, running a hand through her hair. "What the hell, I feel like I got hit by a train."

Daryl sat next to her on the bed, pulling her into his chest. "I remember I was gon' take you to the cost before all this." Charlotte tried to maneuver her head to look up at him. "I jus' wanted to get ya' out of Georgia; To California or somethin' cause I knew ya' wanted to be by the ocean. Out of that shitty town that did nothing for us. Other than ya', I had no good memories from there. I didn't want my kids to grow up in a place I hated." Charlotte didn't know what to say; he didn't say much, especially like this. "And I was excited for the baby; I would stay up and kiss your stomach. And I didn't think that would be gone. Or that it would make me feel nearly empty." He rubbed his hand up and down her back, clearing his throat. "I was an asshole to ya' and I'm sorry. I didn't know how to control it or make it stop."

Charlotte had no words to stay; if she did they were locked up inside her. She felt completely empty. "Earlier you said I was fine, and I'm not. I wanted to give you everything, to move, to have a little girl. I wanted to give ya' both a life we didn't get. But now…. Now I can't. I couldn't handle it if I had to worry about you both as much as I have to worry about you. We found each other but I still could lose ya' any time."

"I love you." Was all she could say.

"I love you Charlotte."

* * *

She fell back asleep. Daryl left the room and passed Maggie. "I'm bringing some food to her."

"She's sleeping." He said, slipping past her.

"Daryl-"

"Leave it be." He muttered to her, not bothering to look at her. It was none of her business. He went down the stairs and found Rick and Shane. "What's the deal with the kid ya'll brought back with ya?"

Rick inhaled, hands resting at his waist. "We patch him out and drop him off to go somewhere to fend for himself. Give him some supplies." Shane laughed, a sarcastic one, shaking his head and pacing on his feet.

"So ya' get shot at and ya' rescue one of the assholes?" Daryl asked.

"Couldn't agree more." Shane said.

"Daryl is a little biased." Rick snapped to Shane, clearly they were arguing before Daryl got down there.

"Damn right I'm biased; my girls upstairs recovering from a shot thanks to those pricks." Daryl raised his voice. He couldn't grasp why they didn't just leave the kid for whatever reason.

"And what if he goes back and tells them where we are?" Shane asked. "Then we have them all rolling through here lookin' for revenge."

"What if he's with Crawford?" Daryl asked Rick in a low voice.

Rick sighed and looked at Shane, who was confused. "What's Crawford?" Daryl swore; Shane didn't know about Crawford. No one answered. "What the hell is Crawford?"

Before they could answer, Maggie came back through. "My dad looked at her, said she was lucky. She can try walkin' tomorrow."

"How about the kid?" Rick asked.

"Dad said if ya'll are sendin' him off, he's good to go tomorrow." She answered, staring at Daryl. Daryl stared back with a look that said, _Don't bring it up._ Rick looked between the two, confused at the tension. Shane was shaking his head, leaving the room. "Are ya' sendin' him out?"

"18 miles out, he's gone tomorrow. We'll give him a knife, some water."

"I want to go up there and beat the shit out a' him." Daryl bit, glaring at Rick before walking out.

* * *

The next morning, Maggie helped Charlotte stand. It was shaky at first, but she could make it around. "How do ya' feel?" Maggie asked.

"Weak, but my leg feels fine." It was a half-truth. She stood by the window. "So what are they doing with Randall?"

"Rick and Shane are taking him 18 miles out, with water and a knife and sendin' him off." Maggie answere passively.

"He doesn't stand a chance out there by himself." Charlotte wouldn't wish that on anyone; who knows how long it would be until Randall found people, and that's assuming they'd take him in. He would be alone, might as well been the last person on earth.

"I remind ya' that him and his friends got ya' shot." Maggie laughed. Charlotte looked at her and smiled. Maggie's smile dropped and looked to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"Glen said he froze at the shootout- because of me." She said. "Like it was my fault cause he cared about me. How it changed how he did things."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Charlotte asked. "He's being causious."

"According to him it's not." She said, a sad look dawning on her face. "He seems to think that's a bad thing. It's cause I told him I love him."

"Men are complicated. Blaming their feelings on us because they can't handle it." Charlotte said lightly. "Give him time, he's gonna' man up. It ain't hard to see he loves you too."

Maggie smiled a little bit. "Ya' think Daryl is more cautious since he has you?"

Charlotte snorted. "Me and Daryl are a special case." The girls laughed. "It's hard to say for sure, we've just always been there. Don't have anything to compare it to with me not being here."

"He's a good man. Easier to see that with you around."

Charlotte smiled and then the door opened. "Glad to see yer walkin'." She grinned wider at Daryl. Maggie excused herself and once she was out of the room Daryl wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers. She held his waist and laid her head against his chest. "We gotta' talk about ya' running off."

"What about it?" she mumbled.

"It's gonna' stop. It's gotta', before ya' give me a god damn heart attack." She hummed a little, understanding where he was coming from.

"Then we both would have to stop." She said, straining her head to look up at him. "And we both know it won't happen."

"Compromise." He said.

She laughed. "How? We are stubborn people Daryl and that's what we do; we run off and get into trouble."

For a moment he was quiet. "Sometimes I wish ya'd be like Lori and stay here and do laundry and shit. But I guess I married ya' because ya' weren't like that."

"I promise to keep you in mind before I run off." She promised.

"That don't rest my mind." She kissed his chin. "Jus' take it easy for a bit, please? We'll come back to this later."

"I can do that." He kissed her on the lips. After a moment he deepened the kiss, pushing her toward the bed. He laid her on it gently, crawling on top of her and supporting himself by the elbows. She tugged at the hem of his shirt, encouraging him to take it off. He broke the kiss to pull it over his head. He came back down to unbutton her shirt from top to bottom. He kissed her collarbone, down her sternum, pausing at her stomach while she squirmed at the sensation. He began to unbutton her pants and suck on her hip bone until he froze.

"What is it?" she asked, frustrated. She had been waiting for this. They married couple hadn't had time to exactly get intimate lately.

He sat up. "They're back, I hear the car. They left to get rid of the kid a couple of hours ago." She silently cursed his good hearing as he stood up and looked out the window. She propped up on her elbows and stared at his bare back, scars from his childhood large an obvious. He had long stop being embarrassed by them, at first he had been self-conscious about them. But they had gotten past that point a long time ago. He'd lay on his back and she'd trace her fingers over them and kiss down his back. "Son' bitch." He swore.

"What is it?"

"They have the kid with him and he's in the god damn front seat."

* * *

**AN: Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys :) leave some more please? You guys are so great. Tell me what you think, what you want to see.**


	11. Climb

Charlotte was standing in the kitchen, staring out the window to the barn. "How do you think it's going?" she asked.

"I'm sure Daryl is getting information from him." Andrea commented. "It's good, what he's doing."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, even though the blonde couldn't see her. "Well, my husband isn't an interrogator. And that poor kid is probably scared to death right now."

"What, you want him to stay with us?" Andrea asked, skeptically. "Become one of the group." Charlotte turned around, and could strike the look of Andreas face. She was looking at Charlotte like she was naïve and dumb.

"No, I just don't believe in taking people, tying them up, pulling them this way and that. We saved him and now he's our hostage, it's sick. It's inhumane." Charlotte snapped. "We aren't animals and he isn't a body with no feelings or personalities. But I guess I'm just better at empathizing than you." The two stared each other hard until shouting from upstairs caught them off guard. "They're going at it again."

Lori sighed, going to cut up some carrots. "That poor girl."

"You shouldn't have taken the knife from her." Andrea said quietly. Lori froze, then slowly looked up to her.

"If I hadn't we would have had a much bigger problem." Lori dismissed.

"So now she gets to be yelled at like she's a child. She needs to choose if she wants to live."

"Like you?" Charlotte snapped. "As I recall someone took the choice from you and you are doing just fine. Sitting on an RV all day working on your tan."

Andrea stared at her. "I'm protecting the group, so sorry."

Charlotte laughed. "Really? Like when you shot my husband? Because that was the last time you tried to protect him and you almost kill him."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "When will you let that go?"

"Suicide isn't an option." Lori interrupted. "Plain and simple."

"Sure it is." Andrea said. Lori gave her a disagreeing look. "Fine. Go up there and tell that little girl that everything will be okay. Because look at you, you have your husband, your child, baby… boyfriend." Lori's eyes snapped up at Andrea; if looks could kill. "She's just got to look on the bright side."

Charlotte snuck between the two. "You're out of line Andrea." Before Andrea could say anything, Charlotte saw the doors to the barn open. "He's done." She said, the girls walked out of the house and caught up with the rest of the group.

"Thirty or so men, having artillery." Daryl was saying. "They come through here and our boys are dead, and our women will wish they were." He added, looking at Charlotte.

"It's done then." Rick said. "He's a threat, and we need to take care of him."

Charlotte moved next to her husband, examining his bloody hand. She looked up at him with concerned eyes and he shook his head, resting his arm on her shoulders. "You mean murder?" Dale asked. Rick sighed, looking to the older man.

"It's decided." He said, nodding to Shane and then walking away. Dale followed after him.

Charlotte sighed and looked to the sky. It was grey outside, the air tasted like rain. Thunder could be heard off in the distance. "Let's go tend to this." She said to her husband, pulling him to their tent which was still out in the god damn field, away from everyone. She couldn't really say their tent, because she hadn't been in it once since he relocated it. He had rabbits and squirrels strung up.

She went to the well and pumped water onto the rag, tenderly going to clean his hands off. She couldn't imagine what Daryl had done to the man in the barn. "What do you think?" she asked him.

"I don't want him here." Daryl answered. "One way or another, I want him gone."

"Killing him ain't a bit much?" she asked.

"One way or another." He repeated, shrugging. Whatever Randall had said to Daryl had set the mans mind about the fate of the boy. And if Daryl had his mind set, Charlotte would trust his judgment. "Is that okay with ya'?"

"I get it." She started slowly. "It just feels wrong. We saved him and now we are killing him."

"I don't care what happens to him. I just don't want him near ya'." Daryl glanced over to the horizon and sighed. "Here comes Dale. Gonna try to convince us to save the damn kid."

Charlotte followed his eyes and sure enough, Dale was coming over. Daryl stood up and began to set up wood to get a fire started. He stared at Dale once he got close enough. "Point o' me coming out here was to get some space from you people."

"People are worried about you Daryl." Dale admitted. "And your new role in this group."

"Groups broken." He muttered. "Better out here were ya'll can't get me and my wife killed." She shot him a look.

"Sounds like you don't care."

"I don't."

"Live or die, you don't care if Randall lives?" the older man pushed on. Daryl gave him a look. "Then stand with me, to try to save the kids life."

"I don't want him here, alive somewhere else or dead here I don't care, but I don't want him walkin' around here."

Dale looked to Charlotte. "And you?"

"I'm stickin' with Daryl." She answered.

"Never pegged ya' as a desperate son' bitch." Daryl commented.

"You're pulling away from everyone. This group needs you." Charlotte had to admit, Dale did sound a bit desperate. "Your opinion matters. To me, to Rick-"

"Rick ain't lookin' to me, he lookin' to Shane." Daryl cut off. "And let him."

"And torturing Randall? That isn't you. You, are a decent man!" Charlotte stood up when she read Daryls body language; he was getting irritated. "And so is Rick. But Shane, he's different."

"Why? Cause he killed Otis?" Charlotte searched briefly in her mind to remember who Otis was. Daryl told her he accidently shot Carl, then he went on a run with Shane he never lived through.

The two men were silent, Dale took a step toward Daryl. "Who told you that?"

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Ain't no one told me that. He had some bullshit story about how Otis covered him, and then showed up with a dead guys gun. Rick ain't stupid; if he didin't figure it out, it's because he don't want to know." Daryl paced around the fire. "Now if ya' don't mind, I'm trying to get a fire goin'." Daryl gave Dale a pointed look. Dale sent one last look to Charlotte.

"I know you have doubt." He said. With that, he walked away. Charlotte stared after him, then turned away and all but tackled Daryl, wrapping her arms around him. Maybe she was just trying to forget her own guilt.

"I want to go fishing." She said.

He pulled her into his lap. "Right now?"

"Yes, now." Daryl smiled at her, the first genuine smile in a long time and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She was laughing while he grabbed a rod from their tent. She jumped down, glancing toward the barn and frowning. "Do you really think Shane killed Otis?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"And you're worrie about Randall walking around?" she teased, only to hide that Shane made her uncomfortable.

"He's the kind of guy who will kill anything that gets in his way. He took Rick's place back in our camp at Atlanta. Treated Carl as his own, banged Lori-"

"He _what?_"

"I walked in on them in the woods one day." He shrugged. "As far as they know, I didn't."

"But I thought him and Rick were best friends?"

"Rick don't know. And to be honest, I think Shane has this weird obsession with Lori now." Charlotte looked to Shane, noticing now how empty his eyes were. And here she had thought she should be scared of the dead.

* * *

It was late in the evening when they got back. Lori informed them they were having a meeting about Randall in the house soon.

Charlotte walked in the living room and sat on the floor, propped up against the wall. She hugged her knees to her chest and Daryl stood next to her, almost protectively. Unnecessarily protective. "So what?" Andrea asked. "We just take a vote?"

"I just want to see where everyone is at." Rick said. "If anyone disagrees, I want to know now." Charlotte had her eyes on Dale, who looked around expectantly. No one spoke up. Rick looked at Dale.

"This is an innocent, young man!" Dale exclaimed, looking around desperately.

"There's only one option." Shane added in.

"Murdering him?" Dale spat. Charlotte and Shane made eye contact and Charlotte averted her eyes.

"We can't trust him Dale." Glen interrupted. "He's not one of us."

"Don't any of you have any humanity left?" Dale's tone was accusing. _Humanity didn't equal civilization. _

"Is there no other way?" Maggie asked. "We could put him to work."

"Another mouth to feed." Daryl commented.

"How would you do it?" Particia, a women Charlotte wasn't sure if she had ever heard speak before, asked.

"Snap his neck?" Shane suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Charlotte asked, albeit in a condescending way. Shane's eyes snapped to her on her spot on the floor and she held his glare. She knew he was trying to intimidate her, she wouldn't show she was scared.

"I thought a gun, to the head." Rick assured. "Seems a bit more humane."

"Wait a minute!" Dale interrupted. "You guys are talking about this like it's decided!"

"We' been runnin' 'round in circles all day talkin' about this." Daryl said.

"This is a young mans life!" Dale snapped. "He deserves more then a five minute conversation." He looked to Charlotte while she chewed on her thumb. "Charlotte, I know you have doubt about all of this."

"What do you think?" Rick asked sincerely. She didn't think of her opinioin as important and looked around nervously, all eyes on her.

"I think you guys are asking a bit much of us. I can't decide what happens to Randall. I can't make up my mind." She said honestly.

"Not trying to save him, that's exactly the same as holding the gun to his head." Charlotte stared at Dale with wide eyes as her stomach dropped.

"_Back off._" Daryl barked, standing up straight and pacing slightly.

"Any one else?" Rick asked, looking around the room. "If anyone has anything to say now, say it now."

No one said anything, and the pain in the face of Dale became evident. "There's no humanity if we do this. The world as we know it is over." He sent another glance across the room. "Are you going to watch?" he asked sarcastically. "No, of course not. You'll just go hide in your tents and pretend like you aren't slaughteying a human." Dale stormed out, leaving the room silent.

Rick exhaled. "Shane, Daryl, and T-Dog can come out with me after the sun sets." She watched Daryl nod and decided she had enough and stood up, walking through the kitchen out the front door. Tears started to run down her face and she stared to hyperventilate, stopping by a tree and leaning against it. She felt someone gently touch her elbow and withdrew, turning to face Daryl. "Babe, don't let what that old man say get to you."

"It's wrong." She said, trying to suppress her sobs. "Dale's right, for all we know this kid is innocent and we are about to punish him for something he may never have done." Daryl went to reach for her but she stepped away. "But you're gonna' do it, right? You're gonna kill him."

"Charlotte." He said in a low voice. She shook her head and he took another step toward her. "We don't know him, and if there is a chance him and his asshole friend could blow through here and violate _my wife _and kill _my group_ then I'm going to make damn sure that doesn't happen."

"But you don't know that will happen!" she yelled.

"Ya' don't have to agree with me, just understand." He turned his back to her and walked away. She let more tears fall and sunk to her knees. It felt wrong, and Daryl didn't seem to understand at all.

In an act of desperation, Charlotte wandered off. Past her tent with Daryl and into the woods. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, but she was too numb to notice. It was dangerous and reckless, she was being dumb. But she kept going. She came to a swamp area and sat on a rock, resting her head on her knees. She came to her senses, and fear was paralyzing her. "Hello Red."

Her head shot up and she pulled her gun out. Her heart dropped right into her through. It was the bandit who took her and Tanner hostage, the disgusting one with a leer on his face.

He chuckled at her; he didn't pull his weapon at her or anything. He walked by the water, examining it. "I remember you; giving me all that hell back there. Where is you sheriff friend?" she didn't respond, just stared him down. "If you haven't shot me now, you're not going too. Now what I want to know, is why?"

After a moment, she answered. "Where's Crawford?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Crawford? That's what you want to know?" she just stared at him. "And why would you want to know that?"

"Because I'm going to go there and kill every last one of you assholes." She said, because she had nothing else threatening to say.

He laughed again. "Wow, you drive a hard bargain. You don't plan things out well, do you?" he took a few steps toward her. "You five feet tall, and a hundred pounds. Do you really think you can take me?"

"It's amazing what a bullet can do to a mans skull." She snapped. He looked amused, which only angered her further. "I'm finding Crawford one way or another."

"What do I get if I tell you?" he smirked.

"Not a fucking thing."

"You are really bad at this, Red."

"Then I don't need you." She went to aim at his head when she heard a twig snap behind her. She whipped around a fired a shot into a man who looked to be ambushing her. Before she could turn to finish the bandit she was tackled to the ground, gun knocked from her hand. His hands were on her throat. She struggled against him.

"You are the dumbest bitch I ever came across." He kept one hand on her throat and the other to reach to his belt, pulling out a knife. "I guess you didn't learn your lesson from last time. Coming out to the woods by yourself." He unzipped her hoodie, exposing her bra. His knife dug into her collar bone and down her sternum, curving around her breast. He pressed it into her a lot harder this time and she tried not to scream, but couldn't help it.

She rammed her head into the bridge of his nose. She heard something crack and he swore, relenting off her slightly. She brought her knee into his groin and shoved him off. Her head spun, she couldn't see. She felt to her side as she grabbed her gun, turning and shooting. The air went silent and she laid he head down for a moment. She opened her eyes and looked toward the bandit. Blood spilled from his head and she sighed in relief. But the sounds and hisses of the undead had her up and sprinting.

* * *

"Sorry brother." Daryl whispered, sending a mercy shot into Dales skull. The pain for the old man was over. Daryl pocketed his gun and stood up to survey the tearful faces. Rick was in a shock.

No one moved, and after a moment passed another gun shot rang through the air. Daryl was on instant alert and looked to Rick. "What was that?" Lori asked, looking around.

"A gunshot." Daryl answered. Rick looked overwhelmed, everyone looked to be in a panic. Daryl grabbed Rick by his shoulder, getting his attention. "Come on, man."

Rick nodded and looked around. "Everyone inside."

"Who's firing?" Lori asked, clutching Carl and looking to her husband for answers he didn't have.

Daryl was looking around when a feeling sunk in. "Where's Charlotte?" no one said anything. "_CHARLOTTE._" He called out, looking to everyone for an answer.

"I saw her head to your tent." Maggie said.

Daryl broke out into a sprint, praying that she wasn't so god damn dumb and that she would be in the tent safe and sound. He ripped the flaps open only to find she wasn't there. "_Charlotte!_" he looked around while Rick and Shane caught up to him. He surveyed the ground, seeing the signs of someone recently running into the directions of the woods. "She went that way."

"Same direction as the gunshot." Shane said, right before another shot rang out.

* * *

Charlotte was sprinting, panicking. She was an idiot for going out into the woods in the first place. For shooting her gun, attracting undead attention.

She hit a wall when someone grabbed her. She screamed, struggling to grab her gun. "No, _por favour._ You need to help me." Charlotte focused in on the face of a young Latino women, who was clutching Charlotte by her elbows. "These men took me, I tried to escape. You must help me." Charlotte grabbed the women and looked around. The undead were closing in. "Oh god, they are coming. The dead ones!"

There was nowhere to run. Charlotte looked around, and then ushered the women toward a tree. "_Climb!_"

* * *

**AN: **please review :) And don't think Daryl will be so understanding of Charlotte running off this time.


	12. Me and You

"_Fuck._" Daryl swore. He stared at the two dead men by the swamp. Rick came up behind him.

"These were the men who had Charlotte and Tanner when we found them." Daryl looked at the bodies. _These assholes_ had their disgusting hands on his girl. He aimed one good kick to the head of the one that was closest to him. He looked around. "Daryl, calm down." Rick tried to lay a hand on Daryl but Daryl threw him away from him.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he yelled. "She can't stay still for two _fucking_ minutes. If she would just stay I wouldn't be out here all the god damn time looking for her." His blood was boiling, he couldn't see straight. "Every walker around here heard the fucking gunshots."

"Daryl, which way did she go." Shane asked, trying to hush him down.

Daryl looked around the area. One of the men had a knife laying next to him. Daryl examined it, his heart sinking. He looked a moment longer and stood up. "She went that way, and she's hurt."

* * *

"_What?_"

"Climb up the fucking tree!" Charlotte snapped, pushing her toward the tree in question. She was panicking, trying to force the women to climb even though she clearly didn't know how. Charlotte instructed her, roughly at that, and the women climbed up about twenty feet and rested on a branch. The biters came into view, the Latina looked like she would scream. Charlotte clamped a hand over her mouth and held it there. Ten of them wandered into the area, not aware of their existence above them.

_Fuck._

The women next to her was shaking, but Charlotte was steady despite being filled to the top with fear inside. This was the end for her, how long could she possibly wait them out? They just wandered around the area beneath them, it didn't look like they were leaving. Minutes were passing, and Charlotte needed to come up with something.

"_Charlotte!_" a voice screamed. The biters heard it, every one looking up at the sound of Daryl

_Fuck._

"_Charlotte!_" he roared louder. The hissing got louder and they began to migrate toward the sound.

And it just came out. _"Daryl!"_ the biters stopped, and looked up. The girl next to her was sobbing by now. They sneered, bunching around the tree and clawing at the trunk. An arrow took one down and she looked to the clearing.

"Fuck!" Shane yelled, beating a biter in the head. They biters began to go after the three. Charlotte didn't know what to do, if there was too many undead for her friends to handle. But Rick was shouting orders and the boys spread out, taking biters down one by one, quietly. When the last one was dead, Charlotte ushered the girl down the tree. "Are you alright?" Rick asked.

"I'm fine."

"Who's this?" Shane asked. Charlotte looked to Daryl and there was no embrace, no _thank god you're okay._ His eyes were burning; he was mad.

"These men…" the girl stuttrered. "They took me. They did awful things to me." She sobbed. "I tried to escape, they came out here to find me. Please, I just want to get back to my group."

"We'll take you back." Rick answered. Shane made a noise of disapproval, rolling his eyes.

"You're bleeding." Daryl said. Her hoodie was still unzipped and he further exposed her by peeling the sides away to look at it. "Fuck, Charlotte."

She snatched his hands away from her, zipping her hoodie back up. "I'm fine. Lets get her back." Daryl glared at her before pacing ahead of her.

* * *

Once back at the camp sight, Charlotte walked with Shane and Rick to one of the cars. "What the hell ya' think yer doin'?" Daryl snapped, grabbing her elbow.

She tore her arm from him. "I'm going with."

"The hell ya' are!" he yelled. By then everyone at the camp was staring.

Charlotte glared at him. "_I am._"

He got up close to her. "'Sides the face that I'm pissed at ya' fer' runnin' off, we need to get that cleaned up." He said lowly, gesturing toward her chest.

"The last thing she needs right now is to be alone with two men." She said quietly back, venom dripping from her words.

"Who is that?" she heard Lori ask to Rick.

"You ain't goin'." Before she could lose it, and scream at him, Andrea came between the two.

"I'll go with." The blonde was confused, just like everyone else. Charlotte nodded to Andrea, then shot one last look at Daryl before stalking off to their tent. He followed behind silently.

But once they got in the tent, they were yelling again. "Thank _God _I'm alive Daryl."

"If ya' didn't always run off doing this and that all the damn time, I wouldn't haft'a worry about ya' bein' alive or not."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Like hell I can't!" he barked back. "Yer' out of yer' fuckin' mind if ya' think I'm okay with this. We talked about this yesterday and yer' already goin' back on what ya' said to me."

"I didn't promise you shit."

"What the hell were ya' doin' out there anyway?" he added, his voice getting louder. "I don' get why ya' thought it was a good idea to be out there in the dark by yer'self." He stared at her expectantly but she didn't respond. She didn't _have _a good reason. Or a bad reason for that matter. She had no idea what. "_Well?_"

"I don't know!" she snapped. "I just did!" Daryl didn't say anything at first, just kicked over a suitcase of their belongings. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you!"

"Anything!" he yelled, coming face to face with her. "Anything to get me to understand why. You don' even have reason and that don't make any sense."

"I don't know!" behind all her anger was a child wanting to cry. The only time he yelled like this was right before things went bad in the world. "I was upset about Randall, okay? After hearing Dale, what he said just made sense." It set in that by now the kid had to be dead. She sat on the bed and rested her head in her hands.

Daryl bit his lips, not looking at her. "The kids alive. Dale's dead."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"A walker opened up his chest out in the field." He said quietly. "We couldn't save him; I had to put him down."

Charlotte could only stare at Daryl. She didn't know if that would be called irony, or karma, or the forces of the universe being a bitch, but it was fucked up. Dale fought hard to keep Randall alive and now Dale himself was dead. "I can't believe it." Was all she could say.

Daryl was still standing, and he seemed to be thinking. "We talked about it."

"I know."

"I tol' ya' I didn't want ya' goin' off."

"I know."

"And then ya' went off alone in the dark. What if I couldn't find ya'?"

"_I know._" She snapped.

"_I don't want ya' dead!_" he snapped back. Charlotte stared at their plaid blanket, feeling guilty now. She understood why he was mad, he had a hard time showing concern or worry, so he would just get angry. And then she would get defensive, and they would yell. But she wouldn't want Daryl out and alone.

"I'm sorry." It tasted bitter in her mouth. Apologies didn't come easy to her, not one bit. Daryl didn't respond. "Daryl, I wont do it again. Not without you." She tried to sound sincere, she meant it.

Daryl sighed crawled on the bed, and sat behind her so she was in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "All I wanted was for you to stay still. Jus' for a couple of days until we got it figured out." Charlotte didn't know what to say. For a long moment she stared at Daryl's feet.

"What are you guys doing with Randall?"

"I don' know." He laid down in the bed, legs still around her. "Jus' kinda' happened a bit ago." And that was it. Neither said a word and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

The following morning was Dales funeral. Surprisingly, Charlotte couldn't cry. She felt bad, because tears were all around her but she just stood there not saying a word. He was a very kind, nice man but she never really go to know him. Regardless, it was very sad.

After that, Charlotte caught up with Rick when he was secluded from the group. He looked exhausted. "Hey. How was it getting her back?" he turned to look at her.

"We got her back." He shook his head. "She was terrified."

"Did she say where Crawford was?" she asked. Rick sighed deeply, glancing to Daryl in the distance. Charlotte followed his gaze and looked back to Rick. "Rick."

"I don't want you running off to these people." Rick said. "They're bad news. From what I heard, they like to take outsiders as prisoners."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Where is it Rick?"

"We can't start a war with them." He continued. Like he could convince her. He didn't know how stubborn and dead set she could be. "Why do you want to know where they are so bad? It's not worth it, Charlotte. It's just not."

That was a good question; she had no plan of attack once she knew where Crawford was. No plan on what she would do once she stood outside of the town. But it was a gnawing feeling inside of her she couldn't understand; the only way to find out was to find Crawford. "Where is it?" she repeated. Rick glanced at Daryl once more. "If I do anything he'll know about it. He won't hold it against you."

Rick stared at her before answering. "It's in the outskirts of Macon. You familiar with Macon?" Charlotte nodded slowly; Daryls father had lived in Macon. Not like they visited him ever. "It's less of a town and more of a large apartment complex these people who call themselves soldiers live. They're dangerous. They kill men and take the women home with them. From what the girl was saying last night they keep the girls there, as long as they can, until they die and they have no use for them."

Charlotte's face got hot, her anger bursting thinking about the girls trapped with those Crawford assholes. And she very well could have been one of them. She wanted to get them out of there, she wanted to kill every asshole there. She slowly nodded. "Alright."

"I have to ask you-"

"I wont be running off anytime soon. If I do, Daryl will know about it." She assured. Rick looked relieved; it had become apparent to the group that helping Charlotte get into trouble, directly or not, would put them on Daryls' bad side. "What are you doing with the kid?" she asked suddenly.

"We're goin' with the original plan, taking him out and letting him fend for himself. I was gonna' have Daryl come with me, if that's alright."

She shrugged. "Not like I could make him stay." She joked lightly. Rick smiled appreciatively and Charlotte made her way to the house; they were driving the cars up and moving their things inside. "What's going on here?" she asked Daryl, who was standing outside surveying the area.

"Ol' man is lettin' us move in." he said. "It's getting' cold out. Didn't want to keep us outside." Charlotte looked up to the dark and dreary sky and shivered slightly in her zip up. She had barely noticed the heat leaving and the air getting chillier. "Do ya' want to stay in the tent?"

She looked at him. "I'd rather be inside with them." Daryl chewed on his lip slightly, glancing to the house looking unconvinced. "I'd feel safer with them then just us two being outside. Besides, I don't want to isolate us."

"I can protect ya'."

"I know Daryl." She assured. "But my mind would better rest if we were in the house." He nodded, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. "I'll ask Glen to help me get our stuff in." Charlotte grinned, grabbing his hand and tugging at it slightly. She gave him a giant grin, and despite people being around Daryl smiled back slightly and kissed her on the mouth. He let go of her hand to run over to Glen. Charlotte smiled after him when someone spoke up a couple of feet behind her.

"It's so weird seeing him like that." She turned to find Lori trying to lift a bin out of the truck. Charlotte paced quickly to the women, grabbing it from her hands. "Thanks." She added, smiling gratefully.

"What's weird?"

Lori chuckled. "Seeing Daryl being civil with another human being." She shook her head slightly. "Knowing that another human being got close enough to him to get married."

Charlotte grinned. "One of my better acomplishments." She glanced to see her husband talking to some of the men. "He has a tendency to pull back and isolate himself, but he always comes around. He's a good man though." She looked Lori in the eye because she needed to know, Daryl wasn't some brood that liked to be alone because he didn't; he just pushed people away and would end up alone in the end of it.

Lori nodded. "You definitely brought out the human part of him. Since I known him anyway."

* * *

Glen stood awkwardly by the truck while T-Dog and Daryl took the contents out of Daryls tent. Glen figured that Charlotte had talked her husband into moving into the house, surely Daryl wouldn't want to be in one house sleeping with ten people in the same living space.

Glen stared at his shoes, kicking at the dirt. "What's your problem man?" he heard T-Dog ask. He looked up.

"Huh?"

"You've been acting weird. Weirder then usual." He added, looking to Daryl for confirmation. Daryl shrugged.

Glen glanced behind him, to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone else. "Maggie offered me to stay in her room with her."

T-Dog laughed. "Nice, man."

"I told her no." Glen added, shrugging. T-Dog looked at him incredulously. Daryl was standing by the tent, looking confused. "It seems inappropriate. With her father in the house."

"Man, that's bull and you know it."

"Who's Maggie?" both men turned to stare at Daryl.

"Hershels daughter." T-Dog answered.

Daryl scoffed. "Little young, ain't she?"

Glen rolled his eyes. "No, that's Beth. The girl with the short brown hair."

"Man, you really are secluded." T-Dog chided to Daryl. He shrugged, throwing some of Charlotte's clothes in the truck. "And you are coming up with lame excuses. From what I hear you got Hershels approval. So don't use him as an excuse."

"I don't know man. With all of _this-_" he gestured to his surroundings. "-Going on, dating doesn't seem ideal. Can love happen in an apocalypse even?" T-Dog gestured to Daryl, causing Glen to roll his eyes. "Okay, they met before all of this."

"You got any advice?" T-Dog said to Daryl.

Daryl scowled. "That's Charlotte's thing." T-Dog grinned; neither men saw the issues that Glen did. "I'll let ya' know what, don't be expectin' to get laid a lot with the world goin' to shit." Glen turned bright red, T-Dog was chuckling.

"Man, how many times have you got it in since people started eating each other?" T-Dog asked. Daryl glanced toward the house, to make sure Charlotte wasn't close enough to hear. She was laughing at something Lori had said.

"Once, the night Charlotte came back." He said. T-Dog looked unsure. "Girls worry a lot, she ain't in the mood when she thinks some dead assholes going to come in the tent and eat her while she sleeps."

* * *

"Just once?" Lori asked. Charlotte looked out toward the field to see Daryl talking to T-Dog and Glen. She wasn't sure how it happened, but her, Andrea, Maggie, and Lori were on the top of "relationships".

"It's hard to get in the mood when I'm in survival mode all the time."

Maggie grinned. "I feel like 'm _in the mood_ all the time." Lori and Charlotte grinned.

"Oh that changes." Lori said.

Charlotte nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah. After a while you stop trying to think about getting him naked and you're thinking about what to make for dinner when he is." Maggie snorted, covering her mouth.

"How do you stay with the same man for more then a year?" Andrea asked. "Doesn't it get boring? How do you keep him interested?"

"We find ways to keep it interesting." Charlotte said, causing Andrea to grin. "And it's not about keeping _him _interested."

"That's right." Lori agreed. "Men can do the same things for years and years and not get bored of it. It's about keeping yourself interested. And it's a lot of work." The women were laughing loudly when Carl came up.

"What's a lot of work." Maggie snorted.

"Nothing baby. Nothing."

* * *

"Sure as hell wont be happening now that I'm gon' be sleepin' in the same room as all ya'll." Daryl was saying. T-Dog snorted.

"What, you cant keep it quiet?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow. "I don' care if ya'll are around me, I can be quiet. She's the one that'll be all freaked out against it." T-Dog was chuckling. "_My advice_ is to take Maggie's offer. It beats being cramped in the living room with everyone."

"If you don't want her bed, I'll take it." T-Dog added. Glen rolled his eyes.

All this talk about sex and how Daryl wasn't getting any of it was making him restless. He hadn't noticed how long it had been until T-Dog brought it up. The men wrapped things up and brought the truck back to the house and started to unload.

Daryl glanced at the barn to see Shane, standing their pacing back and forth. It was unnerving. Daryl just stared at him while he paced like a crazy man. Shane stopped suddenly and made eye contact and Daryl saw nothing; no feelings in Shane, like he was an empty shell. And he knew men like that, and they had nothing to lose.

* * *

The boys had brought in their things from Charlotte and Daryls tent. The living room was a little crowded but it could be dealt with.

Charlotte was in the kitchen, cutting up some of the vegetables. She heard a creek and glanced over her shoulder to see Daryl and looked back to what she was doing. "Hey babe. Are you hungry?"

He pulled up a chair and sat next to her at the counter. She paused what she was doing and glanced at him. "What is it?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Something feels off."

"Like what?"

"I don' know. I saw Shane earlier pacing around the barn and it got me thinkin'." He grabbed her hand and looked her in the eye. "He's losin' it. And he's gon' become unpredictable."

"What are you saying?"

"Something gon' happen and _we _need a plan when it happens."

"What do you suggest."

"Me and you." He said. "No matter what. When shit goes' down, we worry about each other. And we get out of here."

It didn't feel right, but it was; they were married and she meant her vows when she said it. Til death do they part, and she had to put Daryl above the group. If shit went down, she needed to worry about Daryl.

Charlotte nodded a little and he tugged her down. She leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. "Me and you?"

She nodded again. "Me and you."

* * *

**AN Sorry for the long wait, I have been very very sick. Please review.**


	13. The day the barn burned down

"_Last name?" Charlotte looked up briefly from the paper work._

"_Dixon." She answered, giving the bored looking women a once over. _

_She nodded. "I'll grab the sheriff." Charlotte sighed and dropped the pen, dropping her head into her hands. "Mrs. Dixon?" she looked up to see the too familiar face of the town sheriff._

"_Hey Paul." She said. He leaned against the counter, looking sympathetic, looking Charlotte right in the eye._

"_You know if it was anyone else we'd charge him."_

"_I know."_

"_And you're lucky I have known that boy and his son of a bitch daddy, that's why I'm so understanding."_

"_Don't tell him that." She muttered. Nothing like sympathy to flat out irritate her husband. _

"_Something needs to be done; we have actual things to worry about."_

"_I know Paul, I'll talk to him." She looked over his shoulder. "Is he sober?"_

"_Yes, and pissed as all hell that you made him wait overnight." The sheriff smirked a little._

"_Thank you, Paul." He nodded at her and walked away, returning moments later with her husband. Daryl looked like he spent the night in the alley way._

"_The hell ya' making me wait for?" he asked harshly, squinting at her. He shuffled toward her and leaned against the counter, supporting his head with his hands. Charlotte hoped his hang over was terrible._

"_The hell you doing at the county jail?" she snapped. "You think I want to come pick up my husband after getting smashed and getting into some fucking bar fight? The hell you get in a fight for?" Daryl shrugged and Charlotte looked to the sheriff._

"_When my officers picked him up he was saying something about his 'wife's tits'."_

_Daryl snapped his fingers, still staring down at the floor. "That asshole Bernie said you had huge tits." He glanced up to see her giving him a deadly look. "I was defendin' yer' honor baby."_

"_If he didn't make a comment about my tits you would have found something else to get in a fight over. Let's go."_

"_What about Merle?" Daryl asked._

"_I'm not his wife; someone else can come get him."_

* * *

"How many times did you bust him out?" Maggie asked.

"A handful." Charlotte admitted, shaking her head. "It was everything I could do to keep away _assault _and _drunken disorderly conduct._"

She and Maggie were outside sipping on chai tea; fall was Charlottes' favorite time of the year. She loved the crisp air and how pretty the leaves were.

Maggie was grinning. "When I was in college I was with a guy who got arrested. I thought it was so exciting to go pick him up."

"It's not so exciting after the bail money starts to add up." Charlotte smirked. "At that point it gets annoying." The two laughed and Maggie peered down into her cup.

"I asked Glen to stay in my room and he said no." Charlotte raised an eyebrow and Maggie nodded. "He said that it would be weird with my father in the house."

"Sounds like an excuse to me." Charlotte said, taking a sip.

"I know right." Maggie agreed, following suit. The front door opened and Daryl walked out. "Hey, I just heard about some of your drunk and disorderly." Maggie teased.

Daryl smirked a little. "Usually protectin' my wife's honor." His eyes averted to Charlotte. "I'm gonna' go out and see if there's any game. Ya' comin'?"

"Sure." She said, finishing off her tea. "I'd like to go for a walk anyway. I'll talk to you later Maggie." Maggie smiled and nodded and Charlotte followed after Daryl into the wooded area. Charlotte admired the trees as they walked. Daryl glanced back at her.

"What are ya' thinkin' about this whole Randal situation?" he asked, scanning the trees.

"I think it's time to let him go or let him join. Not hold him captive." She frowned. "It's sick."

"I told Rick we had to do something. I think we're gonna' take him out later." Charlotte's eyes widened, Daryl glancing at her and smirked. "Off the farm. Take him into town." He set his bow down. "I'm gonna' piss."

Charlotte held her hands up in a _go right ahead_ manner and he turned away from her. She leaned against the tree, scanning the area. "Remember our first fall at the house?"

Daryl was quiet for a moment, before he answered. "Ya."

"We had those apple trees in front by the garden. It's tough to think I could be at the house right now, picking the apples." _And four months pregnant, _she added in her head. She frowned; she probably might have been showing a little by now. "I miss our room, and our bed."

Daryl zipped his pants up and faced her, not smiling or frowning. He just studied her with that hard look of his and Charlotte felt uncomfortable. "I just miss it, is all." He came up to her and grabbed both hips, pulling her into him. He kissed her softly on the lips and pulled away to look at her. Charlotte wasn't use to him being to gentle and loving, it happened but not often. She placed a hand on his cheek and searched his face. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothin'." He kissed her again but this time his lips lingered on hers. He leaned into her deepened the kiss. Charlotte pushed him away.

"Did you bring me out here to seduce me?" she asked playfully.

Daryl grinned and gripped her hips, picking up her tiny body and wrapping her legs around him. He pressed into her and kissed her collar bone. "No, we huntin'." Charlotte grinned and his mouth traveled right above her collar bone, on that one spot on her neck that might as well been her button for sexy time. He bit her and she suppressed a moan.

"We are exposed out here." She tried complaining.

He kissed her neck more aggressively. "I'm still alert. Please babe I'm dyin'." He rubbed himself against in-between her legs. Charlotte let out a moan this time and her head dropped onto his shoulder and held him tightly. She had to admit she missed sex, doing it all the time and having the intimacy. And Daryl knew how to turn her on and finish the job in minutes. "I'll be listenin'." He breathed into her ear. He maneuvered them to the ground and pushed her onto her back. "Why don't you just lay there and relax while I take care of ya'." He tugged at her shorts and looked to her for permission. She just stared at him and he took that as permission and pulled them off. He spread her legs and kissed her through her panties and Charlotte bit her lip before she moaned loudly. She wanted this more than anything at the moment. He kissed her roughly and started to pull her panties down. His tongue flicked against her and it had been so long and she was so ready for it.

"_RICK! RICK!_" The couple jumped and stared at each other wide eyed.

"Fuck. _FUCK._" Daryl swore while Charlotte pulled her bottoms back on and he ran to grab his crossbow. He grabbed her hand and helped her up and they took off back toward the house. Everyone was gathered outside and Shane was yelling, blood dripping down his face.

"The little bastard snuck up on me!" Shane was yelling. "He has my gun." Charlotte looked around and put it together he meant Randall.

"Hershel and T-dog get everyone in the house; I need Glen and Daryl to come with me." Daryl and Charlotte gave each other a quick look before he squeezed her hand and let go, following after Rick. Charlotte felt sick; she stood up for Randall. And now he was running around on the property with a gun. "He couldn't have gotten far."

"Just let him go!" Carol objected. "Wasn't that the plan?"

"Somewhere far away not on our front doorstep with a _gun._" Rick said heatedly. The boys disappeared and the rest of the group was ushered inside.

* * *

"He's hobbled and beaten. He couldn't have gotten far." Rick was saying. Daryl was looking around, confused and irritated. All he had to do was look around to know Shane wasn't telling the truth. There was nothing there. "You got a trail?"

"No, I don't see nothin'." Daryl answered.

"There ain't know point in a trail, we came this way." Shane objected. "We just got to split up and look for him."

Daryl didn't look at him, just surveyed the area. "The kid weighs a buck 20 soaking wet." He turned around and stared at Shane. "Ya' tryna' tell us he got the jump on you?"

"Ya' that's exactly what I'm saying." Daryl looked away, not buying it. Rick separated the group and Daryl gave him a look asking if he was sure. Rick nodded.

* * *

Charlotte looked out the window, arms crossed. She felt a hand fall on her shoulder. She turned to find Lori, who was smiling. "He will be just fine."

"I still worry." Charlotte shrugged. Lori gave her one last rub and walked away as Tanner made his way over to her. "Hey."

"Hey." He greeted. He leaned against the window sill and glanced out of it. "That asshole will be back before you know it."

"God you are reassuring." She shoved him playfully. He only smirked. "Why did I marry the guy that goes out for the hunt and not the one that stays behind with the rest of us?" she tried to make it sound like a joke, but it her voice was flat. "I'm always scared he won't come back."

"I guess you know how he feels when you run off and get into trouble." Tanner pointed out. Charlotte frowned and looked at her hands. "I bet he is wondering why he married the gal that goes off and tries to get herself killed all the time."

"At the risk of being that girl that sounds like _'I'm not like other girls'_,-"

"Like Andrea." He interrupted.

"- I can't just stay behind." She finished.

"You sound a little hypocritical." He teased lightly. Charlotte crinkled her nose. "That's the face you make when you're wrong."

"No its not." She threw him a smile. "Stop trying to make me be rational."

"As long as you see my point deep down." He glanced back toward the window. "It's dark out now."

"They should be back." Charlotte sighed.

"Want me to go find them?"

"Not yet." She mumbled. As she said that she heard the front door open and was relieved to see Glen and Daryl.

Daryl surveyed the room. "Rick and Shane ain't back?" the group watched as Lori's face fell.

"Maybe they ran into Randall?" Andrea asked.

Daryl shook his head. "No, we found him. He's a geek and from what we could tell he hasn't had anything to eat yet."

"A walked got 'em?" Tanner asked, his brow furrowing.

Daryl and Glenn exchanged a look. Glenn spoke up. "That's the weird thing, he wasn't bit. Daryl checked everywhere."

"How is that possible?" Tanner asked.

"Please, I need ya'll to find Rick." Lori pleaded.

Daryl nodded and looked to Tanner. "I could use some help trackin'." Tanner nodded and the two boys went out the door. Not even a moment had passed when Tanner came charging back in.

"_We got walkers!_"

* * *

_Oh shit._ Charlotte watched as a herd came spilling out onto the farm. "Where the hell did they come from?"

Maggie was dragging the gun bag out onto the front porch and began digging through it. Glen watched in amazement as she shoved a gun into his hand. "What about when the herd passed through on the highway? Shouldn't we just go inside and wait for them to pass?"

"Unless there's an underground secret passageway ya'll didn't tell us about, a herd that size will tear the house down." He looked to Hershel. "Your land, your call."

Hershel loaded his shotgun. "This is my farm, I'll die here." Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"Take out as many as we can, lead as many away?" Maggie suggested.

"Alright, if ya'll are sure." Daryl reached into the gun bag and handed Charlotte a shotgun. "Ya' got this?" she nodded. "I know ya' ain't use to the kickback this got a little more power, jus' keep the weight against yer' shoulder. It's gon' hurt." He took out his revolver and put the safety on, pushing it into the strap of her bra. "Use this if ya' run out. You and Tanner go get the truck an' try to lead them away from the house." He looked to Tanner. "Stay with her."

Tanner shrugged it off. "Looks like I'm your personal babysitter again." He said to Charlotte and she rolled her eyes. Despite himself, he gave Charlotte a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Be safe, alright?" she nodded, squeezing his hand. "I love you."

"I love you too." With one last squeeze she and Tanner ran off toward the truck. Tanner jumped into the driver seat and Charlotte hoped in, rolling the windows down. She opened the sun roof and stood on the seat. Tanner began to drive in front of the house, calling attention of walkers and trying to lead them away.

The shotgun was heavier than what she was used to, and the first shot she fired kicked back so much she thought her shoulder was dislocated. She swore, ignoring the pain and firing another round after pumping it.

"Fuck!" Tanner swore, and she realized why right after he said that. The barn was up in flames. "Should we go over there?"

"I don't see anyone." She said, looking around. "I lost everyone."

"Fuck, _fuck._ There's too many there are about to circle us." Charlotte looked around, desperately. She turned around.

"Back up!" she fired a few shot and Tanner threw it into reverse, running over a walker and getting stuck. Tanner swore and Charlotte watched a small herd making their way toward them. Before she knew it she was climbing out of the sunroof and climbing off the car.

"God damn it Charlotte!" Tanner yelled. "Get back here!" she jumped off the car and grabbed the walker that was stuck under the car and ripped him out. She jumped on the car.

"Go!" she yelled. She tried to get back in through the sun roof but Tanner was accelerating and she was holding on tightly, pulling herself through.

Once she was back in the car Tanner was glaring at her. "I'm _telling _Daryl about that. He ain't gon' let me take ya' anywhere!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "It's overrun what are we going to do?"

"Cut our losses and get the fuck out of here!" Tanner exclaimed, taking off toward the road.

"No!" Charlotte cried hysterically. "Daryl is still out there!"

"Not unless he is an idiot, he probably took off!"

Charlotte stood up and poked her upper half out of the sun roof. "Daryl! _Daryl!_"

* * *

It took everything she had to not burst into tears. Tanner and she hadn't said a word yet and the sun was up. He finally broke the silence. "He's fine." She couldn't hold it in anymore and she burst into sobs, her shoulders shaking. She heard Tanner sigh. She lost him, all over again. As soon as she got him back. "Charlotte come on."

"We left him behind! What if he's dead?" she said between cries.

Tanner shook his head. "He ain't. Let's go to the highway and regroup, then we will go out and find him."

_We won't._

* * *

Daryl came up to the highway, seeing everyone gathered there already. He was relieved, Tanner and Charlotte were probably there. He almost died trying to go back to find them.

He pulled up and killed the motor. He got off the bike and looked around. "Where's Charlotte?" he asked when he didn't find her right away. He glanced to Rick, who only stared at him. _She wasn't here._ He swore loudly. "Did anyone see them take off?" he surveyed the group, getting a collective no. "They don't know to meet us here, I gotta' go back."

"No." Rick said. "We ain't going back, and we can't stay here."

Daryl stared at him, taking a few steps toward the sheriff. "And what exactly are we doin' to find my wife?" his tone was dangerous, expecting an answer from Rick that detailed how they would get her back.

"We leave a note saying we headed north."

"A _note?_" Daryl snapped. "Is that a fucking joke? If ya' think for _one minute-" _his voice was cut off by the sound of a motor coming up on the highway. Daryl felt his stomach drop as he saw the familiar truck. Tanner didn't even make a complete stop before Charlotte jumped out, running out.

She flew into Daryl's arms and he caught her, exhaling in relief as he did so. "Thank God." He breathed. Tanner got out of the truck and nodded to Daryl, Daryl returning the gesture.

Charlotte pulled away slightly to look up to him. "We tried but we got overrun. We came here to get supplies and set out to go find you."

Daryl only squeezed her and released her. Rick held out a hand and Daryl gripped it, nodding in mutual understanding. "We got to set out." Rick stated.

"Where is Shane?" Daryl asked.

"He didn't make it." Rick said, looking down to his shoes. "Neither did Jimmy."

"Patricia is gone." Beth said, looking near to tears as her dad and sister held her.

Charlotte sighed and buried her head into Daryl's chest. He rubbed her back, whispering in her ear that everything would be fine.

* * *

**A/N: Haha, back from hiatus. Thoughts? About to go into the Crawford storyline, before the prison, see what the group did during the winter. Also, thoughts on showing some sexy time next chapter?**


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